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State Prosecution witnesses who were previously examined before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY, will be invited for cross-examination by the Defence. The Prosecution included the transcripts of their statements as evidence at the trial of Ivanovic.
“The Defence has the right to question the witnesses if it considers it necessary. The Chamber has decided to enable it to cross-examine the Prosecution witnesses via video link,” said Trial Chamber Chairman Darko Samardzic.
The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina charges Ivanovic, former member of the Skelani Third Unit with the Second Special Police Squad of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska, MUP RS, with having participated in the capture and shooting of more than 1,000 men in Kravica Agricultural Cooperative on July 13, 1995.
The Trial Chamber explained that the decision only referred to the witnesses who “do not object to being questioned”.
State Prosecutor Ibro Bulic said that he “does not understand the Defence’s request”.
“Although I have tried hard to understand the request, I do not understand the basic thing in this motion. The Defence claims that the transcripts are irrelevant and cumulative, but it wants to cross-examine the witnesses. If it considers them as such, why does it want to invite them to testify?” Bulic said.
Midhat Koco, the main Defence attorney for the indictee, explained that he considered the statements “irrelevant” in terms of indictee Ivanovic only, adding that the Defence would use the right to examine the witnesses because the Prosecution included their statements as evidence.
The trial continuation date will be set at a later stage.
S.U.
