prijava
SARAJEVO, August 31 (FENA) - The BiH State Court found former policeman Kahro Vejzović not guilty of torturing Serb civilian detainees in the village of Stupari in the Kladanj area in 1992.
The state court in Sarajevo on Friday acquitted Kahro Vejzović of torturing detained Serb civilians in Stupari from June to September 1992.
He was cleared of charges that he hit and kicked the Serb men in their heads and genitals using his fists, boots, baton and rifle butt, put a pistol and knife to their throats, threatened them and forced them to eat paper.
Presiding judge Vesna Jesenković said the state prosecution had not proved Vejzović’s guilt, adding that most counts in the indictment were based on statements given by a single witness, BIRN reports.
“In the light of all that, the statements given by that witness did not have the required strength to serve as the basis for a verdict of conviction. Accordingly, we have rendered a verdict of acquittal,” Jesenković said.
Jesenković added that some prosecution witnesses also changed their statements, which is why the judges could not hand down a guilty verdict.
“For example, witness Radovan Djokić, each time he gave a statement he added certain things, which is why the chamber found his testimony to be not credible,” Jesenković said.
Vejzović was originally standing trial together with Safet Mujčinović, Selman Busnov, Nusret Muhić, Zijad Hamzić, Ramiz Halilović, Nedžad Hodžić and Osman Gogić, who were acquitted, under a first-instance verdict, of committing war crimes in the Kladanj area from May 1992 to July 1993.
However his case was separated from the others due to his illness.
The Vejzović verdict can be appealed.
(FENA) S. R.
