Concerns in Europe January June 2001
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- Bu səhifədəki naviqasiya:
- Persecution of journalists
Concerns in Europe: January - June 2001 21
Amnesty International September 2001 AI Index: EUR 01/003/2001
lengthy account of the circumstances under which he had detained the suspect under investigation, and revealed some of the findings of the investigation against the Ševe. Edin Garaplija requested that the court summon for questioning several additional witnesses, notably his superior officer in AID, two other officers involved in the detention of the alleged victim, and several high-ranking former and serving government officials. He advised that all of these people could clarify the events surrounding the investigation of the Ševe members and their activities, which he had been ordered to carry out. However the court refused to call these witnesses or inquire further about the case. A judgment which was issued on the same day found Edin Garaplija guilty of attempted murder and ill-treatment in the course of duty, rather than kidnapping, and sentenced him to seven years’ imprisonment. The request by Mr Garaplija’s lawyer to renew criminal proceedings against his client entirely was rejected. AI has noted that nowhere in the judgment was the new testimony provided by Edin Garaplija addressed. Rather the court concluded that the version of events had been correctly established at the original trial. AI is concerned that Mr Garaplija’s right to a fair trial as guaranteed under internationally recognized standards was violated during the proceedings in the Supreme Court. In particular the organization believes that his right to be presumed innocent was violated and that the court hearing his appeal cannot be considered an impartial tribunal. The Supreme Court panel reportedly consisted of the same judges who had heard Mr Garaplija’s original appeal in 1998. In addition, the defence alleged that one of the Supreme Court judges had had contacts with AID officials shortly before the first appeal hearing; the defence request that he be recused from the proceedings was rejected, reportedly without a thorough examination of the allegations. Similarly, the appeal court’s refusal to hear witnesses proposed by the defence was in violation of the accused’s right to examine, and have examined, witnesses in his defence. AI also remains concerned that the Federal Prosecutor does not appear to have initiated investigations into the war time criminal offences reported by Edin Garaplija, despite his statements during the appeal hearings that he would do so. The newly appointed Federation Interior Minister stated in June that he had not received any requests for information from the Federal Prosecutor and that he had discovered that most of the documentation that had been collected on the Seve formation had gone missing.
Serbs of sexual crimes against women and girls in Fo a in eastern Bosnia-Herzegovina, in a landmark judgment which concluded that rape and sexual enslavement were crimes against humanity. The three men were sentenced to imprisonment for up to 28 years. Two of the men were found guilty of holding Bosniac women and girls in captivity in a number of detention centres in and around Fo a, where they were subjected to physical and sexual assaults. The fate and whereabouts of many of the victims remain unknown. Also in February two Bosnian Croats were found guilty of crimes against humanity and war crimes after a trial which had lasted almost two years and received sentences of up to 25 years. The trial chamber concluded that Dario Kordi , a high-ranking politician in the Bosnian HDZ and Mario erkez, an HVO commander, helped organize and participated in a campaign of extreme and systematic persecution of the Bosniac population in central Bosnia. In April, SFOR troops arrested Bosnian Serb Dragan Obrenovi in Zvornik, on the basis of a sealed indictment which accused him of complicity in genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. According to the indictment, Dragan Obrenovi had been in command of a Bosnian Serb Army brigade which had participated in the siege of the formerly UN protected enclave of Srebrenica, and in the subsequent mass summary executions of Bosniac men and boys. His brigade came under the direct command of Generals Ratko Mladi and Radislav Krsti . Radislav Krsti
charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
In January, former RS President Biljana Plavši
surrendered herself to the Tribunal after learning that she had been secretly indicted for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. She was co-indicted with Mom
ilo Krajišnik, a former member of the post- war Bosnian State Presidency, who was arrested in April 2000. Biljana Plavši is expected to stand trial together with Mom ilo Krajišnik. The former Bosnian Serb leader, Radovan Karad i , who remains at liberty, is indicted on similar charges in one of the two indictments issued against him, and, should he come into the Tribunal’s custody, his case will likely be joined with that of Biljana Plavši and Mom ilo
Krajišnik. In March Bosnian Serb Blagoje Simi
indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Bosniac population in Bosanski Šamac, and had been living in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). He will be tried jointly with three other suspects in the case who came into the Tribunal’s custody earlier. Also in March, the FRY authorities arrested and transferred to the Tribunal’s custody Bosnian Serb Milomir Štaki , who had been secretly indicted for genocide against Bosniac prisoners in detention camps around Prijedor.
AI received many reports of persecution of independent journalists in both entities. For example, in January unknown assailants beat Kristijan Iveli , a
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