Bosnian Serb Army Fighter Branko Vlaco Seeks Acquittal at Retrial

The Bosnian state prosecution requested that the appellate chamber of Bosnia’s state court sentence former Bosnian Serb fighter Branko Vlaco to a long-term prison sentence. Vlaco’s defense requested an acquittal or the revokal of his fifteen year prison sentence.

The first instance chamber, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, had brought down a verdict in the Vlaco case in July of last year. They determined that Vlaco had participated in a widespread and systematic attack by the Bosnian Serb Army against the non-Serb population in Vogosca and other municipalities, from May-October 21, 1992.

The court found Vlaco guilty of having assisted in the persecution of the Bosniak and Croat population in his capacity as manager of the Planjina Kuca, Nakina Garaza, and Bunker detention camps. The court determined that Vlaco had participated in the establishment and organization of those detention camps, and that he had enforced a system abuse for detained civilians. The detained civilians were killed, tortured, forced to perform hard labour, held in inhumane conditions, and were used as human shields.

The Bosnian state prosecution filed an appeal following the first instance verdict, proposing that a longer sentence be imposed on Vlaco.

The defense appealed the same verdict, due to allegedly substantive violations of the criminal proceedings, incorrect and incomplete determination of facts, violations of the criminal code, and the court’s decision on the criminal sanctions to be imposed. It proposed that the court revoke the first instance verdict and order a retrial or acquit Vlaco of all charges.

“The prosecution sticks to the allegations and the proposals contained in the appeal. It does not feel the need to offer a special explanation,” prosecutor Adis Nuspahic said.

Rade Golic, Vlaco’s defense attorney, said that the defense had proven that there was no widespread and systematic attack of civilians. He said the detainees were members of the Bosnian Army and that they were prisoners of war, not civilians.

“They were detained because they represented a security threat to the newly established authorities…The defendant didn’t know about the attack and that his actions were a part of it,” Golic said.

He said that Vlaco was a civilian who didn’t participate in the capture of the detainees. He said that Vlaco didn’t determine the combatant or civilian status of the detainees, and that he was not a nationalist. According to Golic, Vlaco tried to help the detainees.

“The defendant did not hate Bosniaks, Croats or Serbs…The defendant was appointed to that function against his will…I propose that the defendant be acquitted of these accusations,” Golic said.

Vlaco said that he felt sorry for each and every victim of the Bosnian war and sympathized with its victims.

“I particularly sympathize with the families who lost their members and still search for their missing, as well as those who live with disabilities,” Vlaco said.

The appellate chamber of the state court will render a decision at a later stage.