The prosecution filed a revised indictment, dropping four counts from the original indictment which charges Veselin ‘Batko’ Vlahovic with war crimes committed in Sarajevo.
The prosecutor, Behaija Krnjic, explained that the original indictment contained 70 counts, charging Vlahovic with murders, rape, abuse, beating and taking valuables from the Bosnian Croats and the Bosniaks in the Sarajevo neighbourhoods of Grbavica, Kovacici and Vraca.
“These four dropped counts pertain to robbery, abuse and rape. The new indictment now contains a total of 66 counts,” Krnjic said.
The prosecution completed the presentation of its evidence in August and the presentation of evidence by Vlahovic’s defence is underway.
During the Wednesday’s hearing, the defence witness, Mirjana Music, said that she did not remember whether the protected witness, S-4, told her that Vlahovic had raped her.
“S-4 was taken away several times to the shopping centre in Grbavica, where she was raped. She mentioned various names, but I do not remember whether she also mentioned Batko in relation to those events,” said Music.
The defence also examined Dragoljub Djukanovic, who was Vlahovic’s defence attorney at a trial for an attempted murder in Podgorica in 1994.
“Vlahovic was accused along with some other people, but I think he was either acquitted of charges or they dropped the charges against him,” Djukanovic said.
Vlahovic addressed the witness, specifying that he was not acquitted of the charges, but sentenced for the possession of illegal weapons.
The next hearing is due on October 31.
Timeline of events in the case against 13 former Serb fighters charged with committing war crimes in the villages of Cuska, Zahac, Ljubenic and Pavlac in Kosovo in 1999.