THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Feb 4(Hina) - Former Bosnian Serb leader Momcilo Krajisnik told the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague on Wednesday he was innocent of all charges, adding that he believed he would again be "a free man".
THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Feb 4(Hina) - Former Bosnian Serb leader Momcilo
Krajisnik told the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague on Wednesday he
was innocent of all charges, adding that he believed he would again be
"a free man".#L#
On the second day of his trial for genocide and crimes against
humanity committed against Muslims and Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina in
1991 and 1992, the former chairman of the Bosnian Serb Assembly used
the opportunity to address the Trial Chamber.
"I am innocent of all counts of the indictment. I have been listening
closely to all the serious accusations brought against me by the
prosecutor. None of them are true," Krajisnik said.
Krajisnik was a no. 2 man in the Bosnian Serb government that carried
out a campaign of ethnic cleansing during the war in
Bosnia-Herzegovina, which left tens of thousands of people killed and
expelled around two million Muslims, Croats and other non-Serbs from
their homes.
Krajisnik said he was not guilty and that the indictment was addressed
to the wrong person.
"I believe in God and justice, and that the truth will prevail and
that after years spent in prison I will be a free man. I am confident
you will make it possible for the truth to prevail. I live for that
day," Krajisnik said.
Prosecutor Mark Harmon said in his introductory statement that he
would prove that Krajisnik had known that crimes would be committed
and were committed against non-Serbs because the Bosnian Serb army had
reported to the Bosnian Serb political leadership on a daily basis. He
cited two military reports on executions of a large number of Muslim
prisoners on Mount Vlasic and in Kotor Varos in 1992.
Harmon showed photographs of expulsions, killings, concentration camps
and refugees, and quoted wartime UN Special Envoy Tadeusz Mazowiecki
as saying in a report that "ethnic cleansing was not a result of the
war but its goal".
The prosecutor concluded by expressing confidence that the Trial
Chamber would find Krajisnik guilty of all eight counts of genocide,
crimes against humanity and violations of the laws and customs of
war.
Defence counsel, Nicholas Stuart of Britain and Christa Lucas of
Australia, postponed their opening arguments until the presentation of
evidence.
The prosecutors today presented their first witness, Isak Gasi, a
47-year-old ethnic Albanian from the northern Bosnian town of Brcko,
who spoke of crimes committed by Serb forces in that part of Bosnia.
Presiding Judge Alphonse Orie said the trial could last for two years
and that after the first four weeks the trial would be suspended until
April 13 in order to give the defence time to prepare its case.
(Hina) vm