Local Justice Doboj: Verdict against Ribic on January 31
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Presenting his closing statement, District Prosecutor Slavko Krulj called on the Court to pronounce indictee Ribic guilty and sentence him for having participated in murders and capture of civilians in Jezero village, while the Defence called for a verdict of release due to lack of evidence.
The indictee was present in Jezero village. He did not even deny it. Witnesses confirmed that he bragged about having killed Pero and Simo Ljubicic and set Serb houses on fire, Krulj said.
He further mentioned that the indictee was seen entering the house, where Sreto Mlinarevic, Vlado Vidic and Zdravko Djuric were killed.
Defence attorney Dzavid Slamnik said that, in his closing statement the Prosecutor mostly called on witnesses, who did not have direct information about the crimes, adding that the only witness, who had direct information, said: I am keen to find out who Beslaga is, because he was not able to identify the indictee.
The Prosecution has proved that three people were killed in one house. Nobody denies that. However, testifying for the Prosecution, brother of one of the killed men said that he did not see the indictee among the soldiers, who knocked on his door that night, the Defence attorney said.
Slamnik further said that the Trial Chamber should not trust the witnesses, who accused his client of setting houses on fire, because they were not able to see that from the location at which they were at that moment.
Presenting his closing statement, indictee Ribic said that he had a drink with the son of the dead Pero Ljubicic a few days earlier, asking the Court whether anybody would spend time with his fathers murderer.
According to the charges, Senahid Ribic, former member of the 102nd Brigade of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, unlawfully deprived civilians of their liberty, physically and mentally abused the detained civilians and murdered them in the Odzak area from May to July 1992.
Prior to the presentation of closing statements, indictee Ribic testified in his defence and denied all counts contained in the indictment.
He said that he found out about the murder of three civilians in Jezero one day after it had happened, while he was on the frontlines in Garevac village. Also, he denied his involvement in the murder of Pero and Simo Ljubicic.
The trial of Senahid Ribic began on September 17 last year.
