Bosnia Court Acquits Bejtic

Under the first instance verdict pronounced by the Sarajevo Cantonal Court, Bejtic, former member of the Tenth Mountain Brigade with the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH, was acquitted of the charges as the Court's Chamber determined that he was not guilty of crimes against civilians and murders charged upon him under the Sarajevo Cantonal Prosecution's indictment.

Jasenko Ruzic, Chairman of the Trial Chamber with the Cantonal Court in Sarajevo, said that it had not been proved that Bejtic took Zoran Vucurevic to a place near the division line in December 1992, killed him from a revolver, poured a diluent over his body and set the body on fire.

Ruzic said that Bejtic was acquitted of the charges that he participated, along with Musan 'Caco' Topalovic and other people, in the beating of two civilians in the 10th Mountain Brigade Command, took the civilians to Kazani and killed them in mid October 1993.

In addition, Bejtic was acquitted of the charges that he assisted Musan 'Caco' Topalovic in the murder of Bozidar Sljivic in June 1992.

“Following the presentation of evidence, it has not been proved, beyond reasonable doubt, that he committed the crimes charged upon him. More than 30 witnesses were examined during the course of the trial. All of them stuck to their statements given at the previous trial. The witnesses were uncertain about Bejtic's participation in the actions charged upon him. None of the witnesses explicitly confirmed the allegations contained in the indictment,” Ruzic said.

Ruzic said that it was completely certain and confirmed by evidence that the crimes were committed at Kazani, but the witnesses' statements did not reliably confirm that those crimes were committed by Bejtic.

Trial Chamber Chairman Ruzic advised the injured parties to settle their claims through civil suits.
In July 2006 the Sarajevo Cantonal Court sentenced Samir Bejtic to 14 years and six months for the murder of civilians at Kazani in Sarajevo. The Supreme Court of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina accepted the appeals filed by the parties and ordered a retrial in January 2007.

In July 2008, following the retrial, Bejtic was acquitted of the charges that he committed murders, beating and abuse of civilians at Kazani. The Cantonal Prosecution filed another appeal with the Supreme Court of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in November 2010. The verdict was then revoked and a new trial before the Cantonal Court in Sarajevo ordered.

The parties have the right to file an appeal with the Supreme Court of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.