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Prosecutor Seid Marusic mentioned a danger that he might influence witnesses and a possibility that he might flee as reasons for requesting prohibiting measures for Sekaric.
“After the investigation protected witnesses S-2 and S4 addressed us, saying that the indictee threatened them. An official note was made about it,” Marusic said.
Borislav Jamina, Defence attorney of the indictee, said that “no threats have been made by the indictee” when it came to the protected witnesses.
The indictment, which the State Prosecution filed in December last year, alleges that Sekaric committed the persecution of the non-Serb civilian population on political, religious, ethnic and cultural grounds starting in April 1992 and during 1993.
Sekaric, former member of the Territorial Defence, TO, and “Osvetnik” (“Revenger”) paramilitary formation, is charged with having committed murders, torture, rape and other inhumane acts.
Prosecutor Marusic requested the Court to ban the indictee from leaving his place of residence in Sarajevo and Gorazde and order him to report to the Police Station in Eastern Sarajevo.
Judge Davorin Jukic said that the Prosecution’s proposal was unclear. After that the Prosecutor corrected himself and said that an error was made in the motion, adding that the indictee should report to the Police Station in Sarajevo, not in Eastern Sarajevo.
The Defence requested the Court to reject the prohibiting measures motion, because “there is no reason for restricting the indictee’s freedom of movement”.
The Prosecutor also requested the Court to ban the indictee from travelling and confiscate his personal identification documents. After that judge Jukic asked him why the prohibiting measures, including those, had not been requested before.
“Prosecutor, does this mean that, following the investigation, he has been able to travel wherever he wanted and contact the protected witnesses?” the judge asked. Marusic answered affirmatively.
The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina will render a decision concerning this proposal at a later stage.
