Bosniaks Plead Innocent to Kladanj War Crimes

Safet Mujcinovic, Selman Busnov, Nusret Muhic,  Zijad Hamzic, Ramiz Halilovic, Nedzad Hodzic, Hariz Habibovic and Osman Gogic pleaded not guilty on Tuesday in Sarajevo to all counts listed in the indictment.

They denied charges that, as policemen in Kladanj or members of Bosnia’s territorial defence force, they treated imprisoned Bosnian Serb civilians inhumanely between May 1992 and the second half of June 1993, causing them pain and suffering.

According to the indictment, Mujcinovic was the commander of the village police station in Stupari and later police commander in Kladanj, while Busnov was the chief of the police station in Kladanj. They are charged with failing to prevent their subordinates committing the crimes or to punish them afterwards.

Muhic was the head of the Kladanj police station’s crime prevention unit, and Hamzic was the company commander of the territorial defence force in Stupari, and later its battalion commander.

The indictment says that Halilovic was a policeman in Stupari and later became commander of the military police unit and police commander in Stupari, while Nedzad Hodzic was a reservist policeman in Stupari.

It says that Habibovic was a reservist policeman in Stupari, while Gogic was a military policeman in Kladanj.

The trial is expected to start in the next two to three months.