Former RS Minister of Interior Appeared as a Witness, Then Learned He Is Also Suspected of Genocide

Former RS Minister of Interior Tomislav Kovač appeared today before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a witness for the BiH Prosecutor's Office in the case of Josipović et al., who are suspected of genocide in Srebrenica, reports the BiH news agency Patria.

Kovač appeared in Sarajevo via video link from the Court in Belgrade. However, after the defense of the accused noted that the BiH Prosecutor's Office is also conducting an investigation against Kovač for crimes in Srebrenica, and that Kovač is even suspected in the case in which he was supposed to testify today, Kovač said he heard for the first time that his name is being linked to the accused group and that in that case he is not ready to testify before consulting with a lawyer.

He said he would first consult with legal experts, and that after that he would gladly respond to a renewed summons from the Court of BiH in the case of Josipović et al.

The Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina charges Miodrag Josipović, Branimir Tešić, Danilo Zoljić, and Radomir Pantić, as high-ranking officials of the RS police in 1995, with participation or assistance in the forced displacement of the population from Srebrenica, the separation of men, as well as the capture and execution of men and boys in the areas of Bratunac, Srebrenica, and Zvornik.

In addition to these four, Dragomir Vasić, a former member of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska (SDS), who at the time of the genocide in Srebrenica and surrounding municipalities was the commander of police forces in Zvornik, is also being tried in the same case, writes Patria.