Verdict against Zeljko Ivanovic Due June 17

The Appellate Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina is due to pronounce the verdict on June 17. 

Prosecutor Dubravko Campara said that it had been proved, beyond doubt, that, on July 13, 1995 indictee Ivanovic participated in escorting Srebrenica residents through the Bratunac area, or more precisely from Sandici to an agricultural co-operative warehouse in Kravica village, and that, while they were being killed, he stood on the backside of the warehouse in order to prevent them from fleeing.

The indictment alleges that Ivanovic was member of the Second Squad with special police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska, MUP of RS, from Sekovici.

“Petar Mitrovic said that he was present behind the warehouse and that he was accompanied by Zeljko Ivanovic and two other members,” the Prosecutor said.

He called on a testimony by protected witness I3, who said that the indictee was behind the warehouse while the prisoners were killed.

The Prosecutor said that about a thousand Srebrenica residents, who had been captured after July 11, were killed in the warehouse in Kravica.

In December last year the Appellate Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina revoked a first instance verdict under which Ivanovic was sentenced to 13 years in prison. 

Defence attorney Petko Pavlovic said that protected witness I3 was not credible. He said that the witness gave several statements concerning the murders in Kravica and that he did not even mention Ivanovic in some of them.

The Defence attorney said that, in one of his statements protected witness I3 said that indictee Ivanovic had killed people, but he apologised to him later on. He said that the same thing happened to some other people.

Pavlovic suggested to the Appellate Chamber to trust Mitrovic’s testimony at the trial, adding that his statement given during the investigation “was not taken in a proper manner.”

As the Defence attorney said, the witness’ statement given during the investigation was not recorded, adding that, considering “his level of education”, he could not have said some of the sentences mentioned in the minutes.

Mitrovic was sentenced to 28 years in prison for having participated in crimes in Kravica.