Part of the trial of Milan Trisic, accused of crimes against humanity committed in the area of Bratunac in 1992, was closed to the public after the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) decided that the testimony of a protected witness was forbidden to be published.
Ahmed Mesic, Prosecutor of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH, explained at the beginning of the hearing that the protected witness S-14, who was summoned for yesterday’s hearing, did not appear due to illness. The Prosecutor added that the second witness they summoned insisted on testifying under protective measures, from a separate room with voice and image distortion, due to concern for personal and family safety.
Both the Prosecutor and the Defense stated that they were against the granting of protective measures, with the clarification that the identity of this witness was known earlier from the testimony he gave to the Prosecutor’s Office. After hearing the witness, the Council decided to assign him the pseudonym “M”, as well as to prohibit the publication of his statement and identity in print and electronic media.
The indictment charges Milan Trisic with 22 counts that in 1992, as a member of the Territorial Defense (TO), together with other formations, he participated in the persecution of Bosniak civilians – imprisonment, forced disappearance, torture, and murder.
Trisic is accused of directing 50 women and children from the village of Hranca towards the bus station on May 3rd, 1992, armed and in uniform, after which they were taken to the “Bratstvo” stadium. Later, according to the indictment, 43 houses were set on fire in the village Ramici.
The continuation of the trial is scheduled for September 13th, 2022.
