War Crime: Dalibor Maksimović on Trial for Murders and Rape of a Bosniak Woman in Bratunac

The trial of Dalibor Maksimović, accused of war crimes against the civilian population in 1992 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, will continue at the Higher Court in Belgrade tomorrow, reports the Patria News Agency.

During the main hearing held in June this year, Maksimović pleaded not guilty, as he did during the preparatory hearing.

The indictment charges Dalibor Maksimović with the murder of four Bosniaks – Salkić Huso, Omer and Nezir, as well as Mujo Šaćirović – on May 9, 1992, as a member of the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) in the villages of Repovac and Glogova, municipality of Bratunac, along with unknown VRS members. He is also accused of holding two Bosniak women in slavery and raping one of them multiple times.

During the main hearing, Maksimović stated that he had no connection to the events described in the indictment. He said that before the war, he lived in the village of Milići with his mother, stepfather, and two younger brothers.

He stated that he returned to Milići from Zaječar in 1991 after completing his military service. He claims he was not on the front lines in Croatia during his military service.

When general mobilization was declared in December 1991 or January 1992, he was mobilized into the territorial defense of Milići. He received a sniper rifle and an SMB uniform from the army.

From the end of March or April 1992 until June or July of the same year, he was stationed at a position towards the mine (about 10 kilometers from Milići), where they kept guard because the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina forces were in the vicinity.

He remained a member of the army until the end of the war. He said he did not know which unit it was; he just called it the army.

He further stated that he believes he was at the position towards the mine on May 9, 1992. He knows that some soldiers from his unit were killed that day. Soldiers from his unit who were with him during those days included: Ranko Đukanović, Mile Pavlović, and Jovica Tešanović.

The deputy prosecutor then asked the witness questions related to the events in the indictment, based on the statement of protected witness BS1. The identity of protected witness BS1 was revealed to the Prosecution, but not to the accused.

Maksimović said he was unaware of the murders of Bosniaks in Repovac and Glogova, nor of the rapes of Bosniak women in Milići.

The indictment against Maksimović is a case that the BiH Prosecutor's Office transferred to their colleagues in Serbia.