EXPERTS TESTIFIED BEFORE BOSNIAN STATE COURT ABOUT MASS GRAVES IN MILJEVINA MINE

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (October 24,2007) - At the trial of Serbian war criminals Mitar Rasevic and Savo Todovic, who are charged with crimes against humanity committed against Bosnian civilians detained by the genocidal Serbian aggressor in the concentration camp in the eastern Bosnian town of Foca,during the 1992-1995 Serbian aggression against Bosnia, two expert witnesses have spoken of the cause of death of the genocide victims exhumed from mass graves one and two in Miljevina mine.

"In the first grave we discovered 26 and in the second 47 corpses," said Dr Hamza Zujo, a court expert, adding that bullets were found in many of these bodies.

"There were a few bodies that did not have any visible injuries and the cause of death was therefore not determined. All the others died in a violent way," Zujo explained.

The bullets and capsules that were discovered in these graves were sent to Nijaz Smajic, an expert in ballistics and mechanical traces, in order for him to determine the caliber and type of the weapons used.

"It has not been possible to determine which weapons were used, as the bullets were of several different calibers," Smajic said.

The defence teams of Serbian war criminals Mitar Rasevic and Savo Todovic did not have any questions for the court experts. While they did not have any objections against these findings, the defence denied any link between the indictees and the mass graves in Miljevina mine.

"I am terrified when I listen to all this. It was an awful thing to do – for someone to take people, allegedly to be exchanged, and then to kill them," said Serbian war criminal Mitar Rasevic.

The indictment alleges that Rasevic, guard commander in the Foca concentration camp , and Todovic, its deputy manager, were responsible for the Bosnian civilians detained there.The indictment further alleges that the Bosnian civilians were taken out of the Foca concentration camp by the Serbian aggressor and that they have been missing since then.

At this hearing, the Bosnian State Prosecutor presented 166 pieces of material evidence. Following the presentation, Serbian war criminal Savo Todovic's written complaint against the defence attorneys appointed by the Bosnian State Court was discussed.

"I cannot understand how the two attorneys can come to a trial and they do not even know who is supposed to testify on that day. In the course of the seven months, they have never pushed this button in order to protect my rights," Serbian war criminal Savo Todovic said. He claims that "his hand was shaking" while he was writing the letter and that he wrote it after a careful consideration.

Defence attorneys Mladen Sarenac and Jovan Debelica have also complained, from the very beginning of the trial, about the lack of communication with the indictee.

Trial Chamber Chairman Hilmo Vucinic said that the issue could be defined as a dilemma whether or not to release the defence attorneys from their duty and that the chamber "would consider what was said".

At the next hearing, due on October 30, one more protected prosecution witness will testify.