Todorovic Pleads Not Guilty
Tribunal Update 99: Last Week in The Hague (26-31 October, 1998)
Todorovic Pleads Not Guilty
Tribunal Update 99: Last Week in The Hague (26-31 October, 1998)
Appearing again before the judges last week, Todorovic thanked them for their understanding and confirmed he was ready to enter a plea. Todorovic is accused of taking part in one killing, two cases of severe beating, one of sexual assault and one incident of torture. Each of these crimes was legally qualified as a serious breach of the Geneva conventions, a breach of the laws and customs of war, and a crime against humanity. To each of the 15 counts of the indictment, Todorovic pleaded not guilty.
Thus, a trial will follow and Todorovic's defence counsel, Goran Neskovic, former minister of justice in the government of the Republika Srpska, was given 30 days to submit preliminary motions. Prosecutor Nancy Paterson announced that she will ask that Todorovic be tried together with Milan Simic, Miroslav Tadic and Simo Zaric, who are accused by the same indictment and who voluntarily surrendered to the Tribunal at the beginning of this year. For that purpose, the Prosecutor will amend Todorovic's indictment in order to adjust it with the already amended indictment of the other three. This means that Todorovic too will be charged with taking part in the persecution of Bosniak and Croatian population of Bosanski Samac on political, religious and racial grounds.
