New Defence Attorney for Djordjislav Askraba Appointed

The Appellate Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina announced that attorney Radivoje Lazarevic would be the new Defence attorney of indictee Askraba.

“Previous Defence attorney Krunic informed us that he could no longer be Defence attorney in this case due to personal reasons. The indictee has chosen Radivoje Lazarevic as his new Defence attorney,” said Azra Miletic, Chairwoman of the Appellate Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

At this hearing Lazarevic said that he was familiar with the case, because he used to be Nedjo Zeljaja’s Defence attorney during the first instance trial.

Indictee Askraba stood the first instance trial together with Nedjo Zeljaja, former Commander of the Public Safety Station in Kalinovik, and Ratko Bundalo, former Commander of the Tactical Group in that town. Askraba was acquitted of the charges under a first instance verdict.

In March 2011 the Appellate Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina sentenced Zeljaja to 15 and Bundalo to 22 years in prison for committing crimes in Kalinovik and ordered a retrial of Askraba.

The State Prosecution’s indictment alleges that Askraba, former supervisor of the “Barutni magacin” (“Gunpowder Depot”) detention camp, is charged with having “deliberately participated” in a joint criminal enterprise targeted against Bosniaks from Kalinovik from April 1992 to March 1993.

The Appellate Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina said that it could provide the new Defence attorney with the necessary materials, so he could familiarise himself with what had been done so far during the retrial.

The next hearing is due to be held on December 6, 2011, when the Court will continue hearing statements of witnesses given at the first instance trial.

S.U.