Nikacevic: An ordinary detention
07 October 2008 Defence witnesses speak about the detention of Rasim Klapuh, whose death is charged upon Miodrag Nikacevic.
Momo Cancar, former member of reserve police forces from Foca, told the
Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina that, "in the summer of 1992", he went to Humsko
village, accompanied by Miodrag Nikacevic and six other policemen, in order to
detain Rasim Klapuh.
"There had been an attack on Serbian village. We were informed that Rasim
had led the group of people, who conducted the attack. We were ordered to detain
and examine him. This was an ordinary detention, nothing more than that," Cancar
said, adding that he did not know who had ordered Klapuh's detention.
Cancar testified as Miodrag Nikacevic's Defence witness. The State
Prosecution charges Nikacevic with crimes against humanity in Foca
municipality. The indictment alleges that, on August 2, 1992 Nikacevic and a few
other "members of the Republika Srpska armed forces" detained Rasim Klapuh and
took him to the Foca Correctional Facility, from which he was taken out and
killed some time later.
The witness said that, after having detained Klapuh, they all headed
towards Foca, adding that Nikacevic handed him over "to the Command in
Velecevo". Cancar claims that he does not know what happened to Klapuh
afterwards.
"Nobody did him any harm. We were not authorised to mistreat anyone,"
Cancar said.
Answering the Prosecutor's questions in the course of cross-examination
the witness said that he "thought that the military command" issued the order to
the police to detain Klapuh.
Witness Ljuban Vukovic was present in the Staffs premises in Velecevo in
early August 1992, when Nikacevic brought Klapuh in.
"He came to the gate, bringing Rasim with him. I greeted them. Rasim said
that he was brought there to be examined. He looked normal and nice. A few
minutes later Nikacevic passed by me and headed towards the town," Vukovic
said.
The
trial is due to continue on October 14.
Justice Report is a
specialist reporting agency focusing on war crimes trials taking place before
local courts; development of the local legal system; and efforts to come to
terms with the past.
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