Extension of Custody and Prohibiting Measures Requested

Following the confirmation of the indictment, the State Prosecution requested the Court to extend custody for Kovacevic and prohibiting measures for indictees Husein Begic, Muhamed Anadolac, Abid Ljubijankic and Sabahudin Hafuric.

Anadolac, Ljubijankic, Hafuric and Begic, former members of the Fifth Corps with the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH, and Kovacevic, former member of military police with the Fifth Corps of ABiH, are charged with having committed war crimes in the Bihac and Cazin areas in March 1995.

Kovacevic’s Defence attorney requested the Court to terminate custody for his indictee and order prohibiting measures instead, as is the case with the other indictees.

“Both the Bosnian and Croatian passports have been confiscated from my client, so he is prevented from travelling anywhere,” Defence attorney Hasan Veladzic said.

The other Defence attorneys asked the Court to revise the prohibiting measures related to the movement of Begic, Anadolac, Ljubijankic and Hafuric, so that it did not refer to the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina or eventually the Una-Sana Canton for the sake of communication with their Defence attorneys.

“I live in Sarajevo, while my client lives in Bihac municipality. Our contact has been made impossible,” said Kerim Celik, Defence attorney for indictee Anadolac.

The Court will render a decision concerning custody and prohibiting measures at a later stage. Besides that, judge Vesna Jesenkovic said that the Trial Chamber would decide on a proposal made by the Defence of indictee Husein Begic to refer the case to the territorially competent court in Bihac.