Gakic and Zilic Sentenced to Five and a Half Years in Prison for Konjic Crimes

Gakic and Zilic, both former members of the Bosnian Army, have been found guilty of the inhumane treatment of detainees held at the Musala school building in Konjic.

Trial chamber chair Slavko Pavlovic said several pieces of evidence presented at the trial confirmed to the chamber that the defendants committed the crimes described in the indictment.

“The prosecution witnesses clearly illustrated that they saw the defendants in the Musala prison and that they carried guns. We relied upon testimony given by injured parties and accepted them as genuine. For instance, Dragan Kuljanin gave a detailed description of what happened to him in the Musala prison, and stated that the defendants hit him with a police baton, rifle butts, and kicked and punched him all over his body. After that they knocked him down and continued beating him, especially on his head, and jumped on his back,” Pavlovic said.

Pavlovic said the testimony of a certain protected witness had the biggest influence on the court’s decision with regards to the verdict. The witness said that Zilic assaulted him and caused severe injuries to his genitals.

“The witness’ testimony left the impression of a true story. He even cried while testifying. It was a truly distressing situation, so the trial chamber accepted his testimony as genuine. Therefore, on the basis of all the evidence, we have determined that it has been proven during this trial that Gakic and Zilic committed the aforementioned acts with premeditation,” Pavlovic said.

The parties have the right to appeal the verdict with the Supreme Court of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.