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Petko Pavlovic, Defence attorney of indictee Ivanovic, said that it was in the interest of the Defence to examine Ljubomir Borovcanin, former Commander of the Joint Forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska, MUP of RS, in person, but, following a conversation with his defence attorney, he found out that the examination could not be conducted for at least two more months.
“The latest information suggests that Borovcanin is being transferred from the Detention Unit at The Hague to a prison in Denmark. Although he has agreed to testify in principle, the Defence team considers that the possible date of his testimony is still uncertain. We are therefore giving up the cross-examination of this witness,” Pavlovic explained.
Under a verdict passed down by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY in June 2010, Ljubomir Borovcanin was sentenced to 17 years in prison for crimes against humanity in the Srebrenica area in July 1995.
The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina will include Borovcanin’s statement given during the investigation as evidence. The Defence of Ivanovic did not object to this.
Zeljko Ivanovic, former member of the Second Special Police Squad of MUP RS from Sekovici, is charged with having participated in escorting a convoy of Srebrenica residents from Sandici village to the Agricultural Co-operative warehouse in Kravica, Bratunac municipality, knowing that they would be executed.
The indictment alleges that, after having detained those persons, Ivanovic and other members of the Second Squad “stood in a semi-circle” and started shooting at the prisoners, who were held inside the warehouse.
It further alleges that Ivanovic then stepped out of the semi-circle of people, who were still shooting at the prisoners, and went behind the warehouse building with an intention to prevent prisoners from escaping through the windows on the back-side of the warehouse building.
The trial is due to continue on November 24, 2011.
D.E.
