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Vukovic and Tomic: A Flood of Bad Things in Kravica

Vukovic i Tomic

09 March 2010  The first indictee's Defence completes the presentation of its closing arguments, arguing that Radomir Vukovic is innocent and should be acquitted of all charges.

"The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina has not proved with evidence that indictee Radomir Vukovic participated in genocide, intended to commit it or knew that it would happen. He is innocent. He should be acquitted of all charges and released from detention," Radivoje Lazarevic, one of Vukovic's Defence attorneys, said.

The Prosecution's indictment charges Radomir Vukovic and Zoran Tomic, as members of the Second Special Police Squad with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska, MUP RS, with genocide committed in Srebrenica in July 1995.

Vukovic and Tomic are charged with participation in capturing men who were capable of serving in the military and taking more than 1,000 of them to Kravica Agricultural Cooperative, Bratunac municipality, where they were shot on July 13, 1995.

"An incident happened in a warehouse in Kravica. The murder of Krsto Dragicevic, a police officer with the Second Squad, caused a flood of bad things to happen in the Cooperative later on. We do not know whether the detainees would have been killed had Dragicevic not been murdered. However, we can claim that there was no plan for the execution of detainees or at least the Prosecution has not proved it," Lazarevic said.

Vukovic's Defence attorney mentioned the statement given by protected witness D5, arguing that it "was not credible".  

"Witness D5 testified for two days. The Prosecution said he was a key witness in this case. However, I have to say that his statement is unrealistic and, first of all, untrue," Lazarevic said. He said this witness was the only person who claimed to have known what was going to happen in Srebrenica, while other members of the Second Squad said they did not know anything about it.  

Protected witness D5 testified for the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but, due to the protective measures granted by the Trial Chamber, the content of his testimony is not known to the public.  

The Defence of Radomir Vukovic started presenting its closing arguments at the hearing held on February 24, when it called on the Court to pronounce a verdict of release. In its closing arguments, presented five days earlier, the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina called for the two indictees to be found guilty and sentenced to 45 years in prison.

The next hearing is due to take place on March 31, 2010, when indictee Radomir Vukovic will address the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the second indictee's Defence will present its closing arguments.