Omarska-Keraterm Trial to Start

Four Bosnian Serbs accused of crimes committed against non-Serbs in detention camps around Prijedor given date for trial.

Omarska-Keraterm Trial to Start

Four Bosnian Serbs accused of crimes committed against non-Serbs in detention camps around Prijedor given date for trial.

Saturday, 19 February, 2000
IWPR

IWPR

Institute for War & Peace Reporting

Miroslav Kvocka, Milojica Kos, Mladjo Radic and Zoran Zigic - accused in the "Kvocka and others" case involving crimes against non-Serbs in the Prijedor area in 1992 - will appear in court from February 28, when the prosecution will begin to present evidence.


The four men are charged with crimes against humanity and violations of the laws and customs of war for their alleged participation in the crimes committed in the Omarska, Keraterm and Trnopolje camps.


The crimes include murder, torture, beating, rape and psychological abuse.


According to the indictment, Kvocka was the first commander of the Omarska camp and subsequently deputy commander of the camp. Kos and Radic were guard-shift commanders in Omarska. Zigic allegedly entered all three camps to abuse, torture and kill the prisoners.


The case will be heard before Trial Chamber I (judge Almiro Rodrigues, presiding, alongside judges Fouad Riad and Patricia Wald).


Two more trials are also expected to begin in March 2000. The trial of Radoslav Krstic, accused of genocide in Srebrenica, is tentatively set to begin on March 15. And on March 20, the trial of Dragoljub Kunarac, Radomir Kovac and Zoran Vukovic - accused of the rape and sexual enslavement of Muslim women in Foca - is also scheduled to get underway. Judges accepted a request from Vukovic's defence team for a joint trial with Kunarac and Kovac.


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