Three persons have been indicted in Split for war crimes committed during the Bosnia war, through cooperation between the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the State Attorneys Office of the Republic of Croatia.
Four former members of the Croatian Defence Forces were sentenced to a total of 24 years in prison for abusing Serb prisoners at the Dretelj detention camp and in Mostar in 1992.
The retrial of Veselko and Ivo Raguz began with a reading of the indictment and the presentation of introductory statements by the state prosecution and the defense teams at the appellate chamber of the Bosnian state court. Veselko and Ivo Raguz have been accused of committing war crimes in the areas of Stolac and Capljina.
The Appellate Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina declared at a status conference that the testimonies of a certain number of witnesses from the first instance procedure would be heard again at the retrial of Veselko and Ivo Raguz. A new trial will begin on March 25.
The Bosnian state court will issue a verdict in the case of Ivan Zelenika, Srecko Herceg, Edib Buljubasic, Ivan Medic, and Marina Grubisic-Fejzic on April 14. All of them are charged with committing crimes against civilians in Herzegovina.
Ivan Medics defense said in their closing statement today that Medic did not commit crimes against civilians in Dretelj. Medics defense attorney, Emina Hasanovic, requested that the court hand down a not guilty verdict.
The former deputy commander of Croatian Defence Forces wartime Dretelj detention camp admitted that he abused Serb prisoners in 1992 and begged for their forgiveness.
The Supreme Court of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has increased prison sentences for Mijo Banovic and Gojko Granic, both convicted of crimes committed against civilians during the Bosnian war.
Srecko Hercegs defense has requested that he be acquitted of charges for crimes allegedly committed against Bosnian Serb civilians in Dretelj during the Bosnian war.