In its appeals brief, General Stanislav Galic’s defense claims that his conviction for crimes in Sarajevo is completely unfounded and that the former commander of the Sarajevo-Romanija Corps should be acquitted on all counts.


In its written appeals brief, the prosecution wants Stanislav Galic’s sentence – 10 years in prison – increased to life imprisonment, while the defense thinks he should be acquitted on all counts. The prosecution filed its appeal in early March, while the defense just filed because it was waiting for a translation of the judgment.

In its written appeal, made public this week, the defense states that the Trial Chamber erred in law and fact when it found the former commander of the VRS Sarajevo-Romanija Corps guilty of terrorizing the inhabitants of Sarajevo in a shelling and sniping campaign.

In 19 grounds of appeal, the defense team of Mara Pilipovic and Stephane Piletta-Zanin challenge the legal findings – such as the definitions of terrorizing civilians and command responsibility – and a number of findings of fact made by the Trial Chamber. Among other things, the defense claims that the Chamber erroneously concluded that Sarajevo’s civilians were deliberately targeted in a number of locations listed in the judgment, such as Markale, the Kosevo hospital, Dobrinja and other locations.

“The defense wishes to stress that the judgment and the disposition are completely unfounded, if not erroneous. They are based on wrong assumptions, such as for instance that there was a campaign of shelling and sniping attacks, thus introducing a new crime: terrorizing.”

In addition to its first proposal – acquittal on all counts – the defense proposes alternative solutions: a re-trial or at least a review of the judgment and a less severe sentence.

Hearings for oral arguments in the Galic appeal have not yet been scheduled.

Sharing