Trial of Dragan Vikić and others continues before the Court of BiH

The trial of Dragan Vukić, former commander of the special unit of the MUP of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jusuf Pušina, Nermin Uzunović, and Mladen Čovčić, who are accused of participating in the murder of eight captured members of the former JNA at the Veliki Park location in Sarajevo in 1992, continued before the Court of BiH, the Patria News Agency reports.

A witness for the BiH Prosecutor's Office denied recognizing Dragan Vikić's voice when Kerim Lučarević and Malik Krivić were using a motorola to contact other individuals regarding the prisoners at the police station in the Sarajevo municipality of Novi Grad, BIRN reports.

Murat Šabanović recalled that in 1992, he went with Kerim Lučarević and Hajrudin Šuman by car to the police station in Novi Grad because it was said that "some Chetniks were arrested." He explained that upon arrival, there were 200 people who wanted to forcibly enter the station to lynch these individuals.

The witness emphasized that Malik Krivić, commander of the Third Police Administration, told Lučarević that "eight packages must be delivered to Sarajevo to a safe place in the Central Prison, as he could not guarantee their safety." Šabanović denied that the conversation mentioned transferring these individuals to the Police Dom.

As the witness explained, Lučarević and Krivić contacted some individuals via radio, but he doesn't know who, except that "the Bosna unit was being called."

When presented with his earlier statements claiming he recognized Dragan Vikić's voice via motorola, the witness stated that what he said today was accurate and that he didn't know why Vikić was mentioned in those records, given that he only knew him from the media.

Šabanović stated that he saw the prisoners in the police station "superficially" and heard that they were captured by members of the Territorial Defense (TO) and the reserve militia.

- I heard, perhaps on the fifth or sixth day, that some fool killed some prisoners. It was generally said that it was that group - said Šabanović, adding that he did not hear the name of that "fool."

Dragan Vikić, Jusuf Pušina, Nermin Uzunović, and Mladen Čovčić are accused of crimes against prisoners of war. The indictment charges them with being informed, as members of police and security structures, about the capture of eight members of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) from a broken-down transporter in the Dobrinja settlement of Sarajevo.

After that, the prisoners were taken to the Veliki Park location, near the Police Dom in the center of Sarajevo, where they were killed by gunfire, in which the accused Uzunović, Čovčić, and others participated, according to the indictment of the BiH Prosecutor's Office.

Witness Hajrudin Šuman stated that in April 1992, after "the VBR fired," he went with Kerim Lučarević and another person to see if anyone had survived at the Police Dom, where they greeted Vikić.

He explained that they were in front of Asim Dautbašić's office when information arrived that there was shooting in the park and that a certain "Mišo Matić and his men had killed some prisoners." Vikić, according to the witness, "grabbed his head."

When presented with a statement claiming Vikić told Dautbašić that "it looks like Mišo killed those," the witness said it was true.

Šuman denied going to Malik Krivić, or entering the Novi Grad police building. He also denied ever sitting in a car with Murat Šabanović.

The trial will continue on September 7.