Kovac: Witness apprehension order
10 October 2008 The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has ordered the apprehension of two witnesses, who refused to appear at the Court.
The State Court issued a warrant, ordering the apprehension of two Prosecution witnesses, who failed to appear at the previously scheduled hearing, despite the fact that they had received invitations to testify against Ante Kovac, who is charged with war crimes in the Vitez area.
"We have got a confirmation that one witness, despite having been informed and warned about the consequences of his refusal to appear before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that he would not come and testify," said Trial Chamber Chairman Saban Maksumic.
The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina said that it still intended to examine the two witnesses. Therefore they will have to be apprehended.
The indictment charges Ante Kovac, as commander of the Military Police Squad with the Vitez Brigade of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, with having ordered and approved the detention of Bosniak civilians in the premises of Radnicki University, cinema hall and Public Accounting Service in Vitez.
In addition, he is charged with having raped witnesses A and B.
At this hearing, the State Prosecution presented a number of pieces of material evidence, which were admitted by the Trial Chamber. The presented evidence mostly include military documents, such as the one on the start of military activities in Vitez and proclamation of the state of war, dated June 20, 1992.
Some documents, signed by the indictee in his capacity as commander of the HVO Brigade's Police in Vitez, were also presented.
The State Prosecution presented death certificates, by which, as explained by Prosecutor Mirko Lecic, it wanted to prove that some detainees were killed while they were digging trenches in the area between the HVO and Bosnian Army forces.
As explained by Lecic, one of the presented pieces of evidence - a document addressed to the Security Sector with the Third Corps of the Bosnian Army – mentioned the indictee's name and the fact that "his group had stolen vehicles belonging to Muslims".
The Trial Chamber accepted the presented pieces of evidence, adding that it would evaluate them at a later stage.
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local courts; development of the local legal system; and efforts to come to
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Komentari:
Apprehension Orders- If necessary
Poslao: 2008-10-10 18:43:10,
As a victim of torture, I would assume that the authorities would do their best to help all witnesses to the crime give evidence. If. as in the UK, there are close historical bonds of intimidation between the accused and potential witnesses, then we have no choice. What is in the dark, must be brought into the light.
Apprehension Orders- If necessary
Poslao: 2008-10-10 18:43:44,
As a victim of torture, I would assume that the authorities would do their best to help all witnesses to the crime give evidence. If. as in the UK, there are close historical bonds of intimidation between the accused and potential witnesses, then we have no choice. What is in the dark, must be brought into the light.