Avdovic Did not Release Detainees

Defence attorney Mirza Kovac presented orders of custody measures and decisions on the release of several persons, which were signed by Ismet Bajramovic, known as Celo.

“We are proving that Bajramovic was the person who ordered people into custody and released them,” the Defence attorney said.

According to the charges, Bajramovic was Commander of military police with the Territorial Defence, TO. He died in 2008.

Kovac also presented documents on releasing of detainees, which were signed by other persons in addition to Bajramovic, explaining that, with those documents, he was trying to prove that Avdovic was not the person, who “released detainees from the Central Concentration Facility in Sarajevo”.

The Prosecution of BiH objected to authenticity and relevance of some of the pieces of evidence.  

Avdovic and Iulian-Nicolae Vintila are on trial for crimes committed in “Viktor Bubanj” and the Central Prison in Sarajevo. They are charged with having participated in the establishment and maintenance of a system for abuse of Serb civilians.

The Prosecution of BiH alleges that detained civilians were subjected to suffering and forced to perform hard labour. According to the charges, Avdovic was Commander of Guards on the fifth floor of the District Prison in Sarajevo and former “Viktor Bubanj” military barracks, while Vintila was a cook and guard in the former barracks.

The Defence of indictee Vintila presented its plan of evidence presentation, proposing the examination of three witnesses and a court expert as well as presentation of 60 pieces of material evidence.

“If we are not satisfied with these initially proposed witnesses, we may request that former Court Martial judges be invited as well,” Defence attorney Vlado Adamovic said.

The trial is due to continue on August 18.