Mujcinovic and Hrustic: Wish for Confrontation at Trial

State Prosecutor Adnan Gulamovic said, in his introductory statement, that witnesses would confirm that they were unlawfully detained in Srebrenik in 1992 and that they stayed in difficult conditions and describe how they were abused.

“One of the witnesses expressed a specific wish to confront the indictees face-to-face,” said Gulamovic, who read the indictment against Mujcinovic and Hrustic at this hearing.

The indictees and their Defence teams said that the State Prosecution’s indictment was “unfounded”.

“The Prosecutor will be surprised when he realises that he has entered an adventure with these pieces of evidence, because only one piece of evidence confirms the actions in question, but that specific piece is unlawful,” said Midhat Skenderovic, Defence attorney of indictee Mujcinovic.

Presenting his introductory statement, indictee Hrustic said that the indictment was shameful for the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“One cannot imagine that this is really happening. The charges have actually been fabricated,” Hrustic said.

Mujcinovic and Hrustic, former members of the 21st Mountain Brigade of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH, are charged with having treated Serb civilians, who were unlawfully held in the Youth Centre premises in Rapatnica village, Srebrenik municipality, in an inhumane manner during July and August 1992.

The indictment alleges that Mujcinovic beat one of the prisoners, stick an injection needle under his nails, burnt him with a soldetron, poured salt on his wounds and attached a clip to his ears and then turned the current on. The prisoner then fainted.

The indictees, who are defending themselves while at liberty, are charged with having hit a detainee, in collaboration with another member of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and put an injection needle under his nails, burnt him with a soldetron and forced him to swallow half a kilogramme of salt
without giving him any water.

The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina is due to examine its first witnesses on November 16, 2011.