Briefly Noted

Pandurevic, who was transferred to the UN detention unit on March 23, faces one count of genocide or, alternatively, complicity to commit genocide; four counts of crimes against humanity for extermination, murder, persecution, and either deportations or inhumane acts; and one count of violations of the laws or customs of war for murder.

Prosecutors say at the time of the massacre Pandurevic was commander of the First Zvornik Light Infantry Brigade, members of which helped round up refugees fleeing Srebrenica, took part in the mass executions and used heavy machinery to dispose of the bodies.

Men under his command are also said to have been involved in an effort to excavate and move bodies from the original mass graves after it became clear that the international community had learnt of the atrocity.

The Serbian government welcomed Pandurevic’s decision to surrender himself to the tribunal – over three years after his indictment was first made public – as “moral, honourable and responsible”.

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Former Bosnian Serb army officer Drago Nikolic has put off entering a plea on charges relating to his alleged involvement in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre.

Defence counsel representing Nikolic for the purpose of the March 23 hearing reported that the accused wished to wait until he had appointed his own defence lawyer before responding to the allegations.

According to the court rules, he has the right to postpone entering his plea for a maximum of 30 days.

Nikolic is charged with one count of genocide or, alternatively, complicity to commit genocide; three counts of crimes against humanity for extermination, persecution and murder; and one count of violations of the laws or customs of war for murder.

Prosecutors say at the time of the massacre Nikolic was chief of security of the Zvornik brigade and responsible for the unit’s military police, whose members allegedly guarded prisoners from Srebrenica, blindfolded them and transported them to the execution sites.

They allege that he visited the execution sites in person and was fully aware that the prisoners were being massacred.

Nikolic gave himself in to the Serbian authorities and was transferred to The Hague on March 17.

During his plea hearing, prosecutors announced that they would be seeking to join a number of indictments relating to crimes in Srebrenica so that the accused in question can be put on trial together.

The Office of the Prosecutor was unable to provide IWPR with a comprehensive list of the indictments to be included in this joinder, but confirmed it would include the surge of Srebrenica indictees who have arrived in recent weeks.

Besides Nikolic, these are Vinko Pandurevic, Milan Gvero, Radivoje Miletic and Ljubomir Beara.

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Former Macedonian interior minister Ljube Boskoski arrived in The Hague this week to face charges relating to an attack on an ethnic Albanian village in 2001 in which seven residents were allegedly murdered and many more detained and beaten.

Also this week Boskoski’s co-indictee, former Macedonian police officer Johan Tarculovski, postponed entering a plea on the same charges.

Following the March 21 hearing, Tarculovski has a further 30 days in which to respond to the allegations.

Boskoski was transferred to The Hague on March 24 from a jail cell in Croatia, where he had been awaiting trial on separate charges relating to the deaths of seven illegal immigrants at the hands of Macedonian police in 2002.

The Hague indictment against the two men includes three counts of violations of the laws or customs of war for murder, cruel treatment and the wanton destruction of homes in the village.

Prosecutors say Tarculovski was in charge of the police unit that carried out the assault in question, and Boskoski was in overall command of the Macedonian police force at the time.

The joint indictment is the only charge sheet ever issued by the Hague tribunal for crimes committed during the brief 2001 conflict in Macedonia between government forces and ethnic Albanian rebels.