Prosecution Proposes 245 Witnesses to Testify at Vrucinic Trial

After a status conference at the Bosnian state court, the start date of the Mirko Vrucinic trial of Mirko Vrucinic was set for April 22. The trial will begin with a reading of the indictment and the presentation of the state prosecution’s introductory statements. Vrucinic has been charged with war crimes in the areas of Sanski Most and Prijedor.

The indictment alleges that Vrucinic, the former head of the public safety station and member of the crisis committee in Sanski Most, participated in a joint criminal enterprise aimed at persecuting the non-Serb population from April to December 1992.

The prosecution said it would invite 245 witnesses to testify, but said that the number might be reduced during the main trial. The prosecution said it would include 630 pieces of material evidence in the case file.

The prosecution proposed inviting witnesses who had been granted protective measures by the Hague tribunal. The trial chamber rejected one of the proposed witnesses, and a response is forthcoming with regards to the second witness.

Prosecutor Dzemila Begovic proposed including the facts presented at the Radoslav Brdjanin trial at the Hague in this trial. The tribunal had sentenced Brdjanin to 30 years in prison for his crimes in Krajina.

The defense it wouldn’t propose evidence for the time being, and said it had requested additional time to prepare for the trial. The trial chamber said the defense did, in fact, have sufficient time, considering that the indictment was confirmed four months ago.

Vrucinic has been charged with participating in the persecution of the Bosniak and Croat civilian population, which included acts of murder, forcible resettlement, unlawful detention, forcible disappearances and the severe suffering of civilians.

According to the state prosecution’s charges, hundreds of victims were tortured, beaten, abused, humiliated and held in inhumane conditions, and approximately 1000 unlawfully detained victims were transferred to the Manjaca detention camp.

The Bosnian state prosecution alleges that more than 20,000 people were forcibly deported from the Sanski Most area, and that police forces under Vrucinic’s command participated in the deportations.