Kapo Describes Murder Plot Against Him

State prosecutors say lawyer Muhidin Kapo has been threatened with murder, due to his forthcoming testimony in a war crimes trial. Kapo has requested that the case be turned over to the Bosnian state court, because of “bad experiences” he’s had with the court of Eastern Sarajevo.

“As the injured party, I’ll ask that the case be tried at the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, because I’ve had bad experiences with the court of Eastern Sarajevo. This court can’t justify its own formation and appointment. It doesn’t work in the interests of justice,” Kapo said. Kapo says this opinion is based on his evaluation of the court’s impartiality, how it comes to its decisions, and how it handles trial proceedings.

Kapo was expected to testify against war crimes suspect Milenko Krsmanovic on September 23, with claims that Krsmanovic assaulted him in 1992. Kapo alleges that Krsmanovic hired hitmen to kill him to prevent his testimony. Krsmanovic has been charged with war crimes in the Sokolac area, in a trial expected to begin soon at the District Court of Eastern Sarajevo.

“I found out that he [Krsmanovic] was looking for me and had hired some people to liquidate me, because it wasn’t in his interest for me to show up alive in court. I’ll say things that aren’t in his favour. Luckily, this was discovered in time,” Kapo said. Kapo said he was supposed to die in a staged car accident, and that similar scenarios were also considered.

Since the plot was uncovered, Kapo has hired private bodyguards for his personal safety.

“A normal man can’t feel comfortable [in this situation],” he said.

However, Kapo didn’t report the threats to the state prosecution. The state prosecution contacted Kapo, and said they had information about the plot to kill him. Krsmanovic was arrested on June 18, 2015, on suspicion of plotting Kapo’s murder. He is now in custody, although the state prosecution has yet to raise an indictment.

In an interview with BIRN-Justice Report, Kapo described his alleged assault at the hands of Krsmanovic. Kapo said he was imprisoned in Bijele Vode in the municipality of Sokolac in July 1992.

“I was imprisoned by a guy, he had a gun. When he detained me, the entire village gathered, and shortly after, a vehicle with two soldiers appeared. One of them was Krsmanovic,” Kapo said. He said the soldiers wore camouflage clothing, berets, and the insignia of the Munja special unit.

The soldier accompanying Krsmanovic, according to Kapo, was nicknamed Crni.

Kapo said he recognized Krsmanovic because he represented a cousin of his before the war, who had been severely injured in a car accident on Mount Romanija. Krsmanovic had been involved in the case.

“They tied up my hands with handcuffs and took everything I had,” Capo said. He said Krsmanovic and Crni escorted him to the car and drove him towards Sokolac.

Kapo said they took him to woods in the Sokolac area and started beating him.

“I endured it until my right ankle broke. I fell down. They were beating me all over my body and they also broke my ribs,” Kapo said. He said Crni cocked a gun at him, but Krsmanovic ordered him not to shoot. Kapo alleged that Krsmanovic said he could be useful in a prisoner exchange.

Afterwards, Krsmanovic and Crni took him to a hospital in Sokolac. Kapo said the medical staff there didn’t want to treat him. Then, they took Kapo into custody in Sokolac and imprisoned him in a solitary cell.

Kapo said Krsmanovic ordered him not to tell anyone about his broken leg, but to say that he fell and injured himself.

After two nights spent in custody in Sokolac, Kapo said he was transferred to Rasadnik in the municipality of Rogatica, where he stayed until July 28, 1992. Kapo said a man named Macola punched his arm in two places and he was also injured by a paramilitary officer named Radislav Ljubinac, nicknamed Pjano. Kapo was transferred to a hospital in Sokolac due to his injuries. The Bosnian state court sentenced Ljubinac to ten years in prison in 2007.

Kapo said that after a few days he was transferred to a solitary cell in Sokolac and was held there until August 23, 1992, when he was exchanged.