Protection of Witnesses Requested in Brcko

During a Brcko District government session held on Tuesday, June 26, the local police submitted a report about the shooting occurred at the house of Cvijetin Radic, a prosecution witness at the trial of two Bosniaks charged with torture of Bosnian Serbs in 1992 and 1993.
 
According to information from the Brcko police, Cvijetin Radic filed a report, saying that bullets had been fired towards his house courtyard twice during the past few days.   

“After the Deputy Police Chief presented the report at this session, the Brcko District Government asked the police to use all available means and resources in order to protect witnesses testifying in war-crimes cases,” said Slavica Pavlovic, spokesperson of the Brcko District Government.  
 
Goran Lujic, Chief of Brcko Police, told BIRN that the investigation about this case was already underway “regardless of the Government’s conclusions”.
 
“This case is of great interest to the general public. We have a law on the protection of witnesses under threat and endangered witnesses. In line with that law, we have initiated activities aimed at solving this case, starting from determining the motive and the circumstances under which this happened,” Lujic said.
 
According to Lujic, the Brcko District Police has deployed a number of its officers to that area over the past few days. It has also solicited help from citizens in order to gather information related to this case.

One day prior to the shooting, on Friday, June 22, Radic had testified at the trial of two Bosniaks, Galib Hadzic and Nijaz Hodzic before the Basic Court in Brcko.
 
Hadzic and Hodzic are charged with having participated in the torture and inhumane treatment of Bosnian Serb civilians and prisoners of war from the Bukvik area in 1992 and 1993.