23 March 2007
News
Rasevic/Todovic trial set for April
BIRN BiHAs was announced during the status conference, the trial of Savo Todovic and Mitar Rasevic will begin on April 6, 2007.
The trial of Savo Todovic and Mitar Rasevic, who were transferred from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in October 2006 and whose indictment was confirmed by the Bosnian court on January 29 of this year, will begin on April 6 with the reading of the indictment and opening statements.
They are charged with beatings, murders, taking to forced labour and forced disappearances of detainees of correctional facility Foca, all of which took place from April 1992 to October 1995.
During that time, Rasevic was guard commander and Todovic was deputy to Milorad Krnojelac - the former warden of correctional facility Foca who was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by the ICTY.
The prosecution has announced 52 witnesses, most of who testified against Krnojelac in The Hague.
As Prosecutor Vesna Ilic said at the status conference, most of these witnesses will have certain protection measures, while two of them will have full protection measures.
Primary indictee Todovic, who is being defended by ex officio defence attorney Mladen Sarenac, asked on Friday to defend himself and said that he is not willing to communicate with his attorney. However, the court denied this request.
"You have five days to select another attorney from the list, who will defend you along with colleague Sarenac," trial chamber chairman Hilmo Vucinic said, adding that thus far Sarenac has done his job of defence attorney fairly and that there was no reason to relieve him of duty.
The trial chamber accepted a request by Rasevic's defence for an additional defence attorney. Milan Vujin will be taking up that position.
The trial will begin on April 6, 2007.
They are charged with beatings, murders, taking to forced labour and forced disappearances of detainees of correctional facility Foca, all of which took place from April 1992 to October 1995.
During that time, Rasevic was guard commander and Todovic was deputy to Milorad Krnojelac - the former warden of correctional facility Foca who was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by the ICTY.
The prosecution has announced 52 witnesses, most of who testified against Krnojelac in The Hague.
As Prosecutor Vesna Ilic said at the status conference, most of these witnesses will have certain protection measures, while two of them will have full protection measures.
Primary indictee Todovic, who is being defended by ex officio defence attorney Mladen Sarenac, asked on Friday to defend himself and said that he is not willing to communicate with his attorney. However, the court denied this request.
"You have five days to select another attorney from the list, who will defend you along with colleague Sarenac," trial chamber chairman Hilmo Vucinic said, adding that thus far Sarenac has done his job of defence attorney fairly and that there was no reason to relieve him of duty.
The trial chamber accepted a request by Rasevic's defence for an additional defence attorney. Milan Vujin will be taking up that position.
The trial will begin on April 6, 2007.
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