Presenting the closing arguments, the Defense requested that Miroslav Markovic be acquitted of the crime committed in the summer of 1992 in the village of Lokanj near Zvornik, after which the pronouncement verdict was scheduled for the beginning of October.
At the beginning of the closing argument, lawyer Dragan Gotovac referred to the crime against humanity that Markovic is accused of and said that the question arises as to whether the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) proved the existence of a widespread and systematic attack in the village of Lokanj on July 14th, 1992.
As he said, Markovic was an ordinary soldier, he often stayed at home because his army was just being formed, and since the accused was not a military leader, he and his behavior should be viewed restrictively.
“The court must determine whether the Army of the Republika Srpska (VRS) carried out any combat operations on the territory of Teocak on that day. There was no attack on Teocak on July 14th, 1992, nor any operations in that area. A dozen witnesses clearly described the event, which boils down to the conclusion that the conflict came spontaneously and completely unexpectedly on the Serbian side,” said Gotovac.
“The evidence shows that it was a fight between the warring parties, and not an attack on the civilian population. No evidence indicates that it was about civilians, except for two women and two children who were allowed by the organizer of the column to be there. Most of the Bosniak witnesses confirmed that there was serious shooting from their side as well,” Gotovac said.
According to the lawyer, the indictment does not clearly describe the actions Markovic is accused of, such as imprisonment, arrest, torture, and complicity. He referred to the testimony of protected witness S-7, who said that he did not see Markovic mistreat anyone.
“Not a single witness has confirmed that he saw Markovic perform any act that he is accused of,” said the lawyer.
The pronouncement of the first instance verdict is scheduled for October 9th, Detektor reports.
E.Dz.
