Satko Mujagic, former detinee of the contetracion camp in Prijedor region

The Appeals Chamber dismissed the motion filed by Satko Mujagic and Fikret Alic, former prisoners of the Prijedor prison camps, and the Association of Witnesses and Victims of Genocide from Sarajevo, in which they sought leave to participate as amici curiae in the appellate proceedings following the judgment acquitting Radovan Karadzic of genocide in the municipalities of Bratunac, Foca, Kljuc, Prijedor, Sanski Most, Vlasenica and Zvornik municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In their motion, the applicants emphasized their 'unique interest' as the surviving victims of genocide and their right to have their voices heard before the Tribunal's Appeals Chamber. The applicants noted in their motion that from a 'human and historical' perspective, they, more than any other party to the proceedings, were aware of the 'historical impact' of the case on the survivors, their descendants and all ethnic communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In its decision, the Appeals Chamber concluded that the brief filed by the amici curiae in was not restricted to legal issues, but attempted to interpret evidence. 'Although the victims of Karadzic's alleged crimes may have a valuable "human and historical" perspective to offer and have a "special interest in seeing that history accurately records their suffering and reasons they suffered", the judges concluded that the motion of the amici curiae was not of assistance to the Appeals Chamber.

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