Naser Oric i Radovan Karadzic in the courtroom

Radovan Karadzic has submitted a new request to the Trial Chamber urging it to issue a subpoena to former BH Army commander in Srebrenica, Naser Oric, to compel him to come to The Hague as a witness in the defense case.

Karadzic filed his first motion in mid-November 2012 after Oric turned down his request to give evidence. The Trial Chamber denied Karadzic’s motion, finding that the accused had not taken all the necessary steps to obtain Oric’s voluntary appearance as a witness. That is a prerequisite for the issuance of a subpoena.

Karadzic then sent a new letter to Oric urging him once again to come to The Hague and testify on 7 February 2013. If not, Karadzic wrote to Oric, he would file a motion for a subpoena to compel Oric to testify. Oric’s lawyer Vasvija Vidovic responded to the letter, asking ‘if Karadzic is aware of the potential damage that may be caused by Oric’s appearance as a witness in the defense case’.

In his response, the accused confirmed he was aware of the risks. Despite that, Karadzic still wanted to call Oric as his witness. Karadzic didn’t receive any response to his request and Oric didn’t appear in The Hague on 7 February 2013. Karadzic contends that he has taken all necessary steps to obtain Oric’s voluntary appearance as a witness. Consequently, Karadzic now urged the Trial Chamber to issue a subpoena to Oric compelling him to give evidence on 26 March 2013 in the defense case.

Karadzic hopes that he would be able to prove through Oric’s evidence that in the summer of 1995 he, as the Bosnian Serb president, had a ‘legitimate military reason’ to attack Srebrenica. Thus, Karadzic could deny the prosecution’s allegation that it was done as part of a joint criminal enterprise aimed at the annihilation of the Muslim population in the enclave.

Karadzic expects that Oric could say in his evidence that Srebrenica had never been demilitarized, that the Bosnian forces had had heavy arms in the town, that the Serb forces and villages around Srebrenica had been attacked from it and that a large quantity of weapons had been smuggled into Zepa by helicopter. From Zepa, the weapons were brought to Srebrenica.

Sharing