Prijedor Murders Trial: Convictions Urged for Bosnian Serb Soldiers

The defendants (on the right, first and second rows) with their lawyers in court. Photo: Bosnian state court.

In closing arguments at the Bosnian state court in Sarajevo on Thursday, the prosecution insisted that it had proved during the trial that Boro Milojica and Zelislav Rivic, former members of the Sixth Company of the Bosnian Serb Army's Ljubija Battalion, participated in a widespread and systematic attack on the non-Serb population in the Prijedor area in June and July 1992.

Prosecutor Sedin Idrizovic said that protected witnesses - former fellow soldiers of Milojica - confirmed that the defendant killed one Bosniak in the village of Hambarine in the Prijedor area and, acting together with another soldier, executed nine Roma people who had been brought there to bury corpses.

According to the prosecutor, witnesses confirmed that Milojica killed a Bosniak shepherd during a search of the village of Carakovo, as well as an elderly man while he was searching for gold in a house together with Rivic and another person.

The prosecution also said it had proved that Milojica and Rivic killed five Bosniaks who had been brought to a checkpoint in Hambarine by the military police.

Prosecutor Idrizovic recalled testimonies given by witnesses who said Milojica approached the minivan in which the Bosniaks were being transported and said: "Give them to me", then took them out of the vehicle.

The witnesses then heard gunshots and saw Milojica and Rivic, who had rifles, standing next to the dead bodies, the prosecutor continued.

He added that on the same night, Milojica killed another person who was passing by the checkpoint in Hambarine.

Idrizovic cited further testimonies from witnesses who claimed Milojica and Rivic were also...