THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Sept 4 (Hina) - Bosnian Serb Dragan Nikolic pleaded guilty before the Hague tribunal for the former Yugoslavia on Thursday to persecution, murder, rape, and torture committed under his command at the Susica detention
camp in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina.
THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Sept 4 (Hina) - Bosnian Serb Dragan Nikolic
pleaded guilty before the Hague tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
on Thursday to persecution, murder, rape, and torture committed
under his command at the Susica detention camp in eastern Bosnia and
Herzegovina. #L#
Based on a plea agreement negotiated with the Prosecutor's Office,
Nikolic pleaded guilty to all four counts of the indictment, which
was amended during the motion hearing.
At the first hearing in 2000, the 46-year-old Nikolic pleaded not
guilty to eight counts of crimes against humanity.
About 8,000 local Bosnian Muslims and other non-Serbs were detained
at Susica from May to October 1992. They were detained in two
overcrowded hangars, beaten and tortured daily. Women were
repeatedly raped and maltreated.
Nikolic admitted to having himself tortured and beaten some inmates
who later succumbed to injuries, and to having encouraged sexual
violence at Susica.
The Prosecutor's Office has recommended a 15-year imprisonment
sentence. Sentencing has been scheduled for November 3.
(hina) ha