BOSNIAN STATE PROSECUTOR PRESENTED CLOSING ARGUMENTS AT TRIAL OF SERBIAN WAR CRIMINALS ZELJKO MEJAKIC AND MOMCILO GRUBAN

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (May 20,2008) - In his closing arguments the Bosnian State Prosecutor said yesterday before the Bosnian State Court that Serbian war criminals Zeljko Mejakic and Momcilo Gruban were "loyal followers of a criminal system" who were responsible for the abuse of Bosnian civilians by the genocidal Serbian aggressor in the Omarska concentration camp,during the 1992-1995 Serbian aggression against Bosnia.

During the five-hour presentation of his closing arguments, the Bosnian State Prosecutor Peter Kidd said that he considers that the Prosecution managed to prove that Serbian war criminals Zeljko Mejakic and Momcilo Gruban participated in a joint criminal enterprise and that the Serbian war criminals were "very creative" in finding ways to abuse the Bosnian civilians in the Omarska concentration camp.

"The detainees were exposed to systematic torture and savage treatment. The only reason for that was their ethnic background. This was their only crime. Therefore this was madness motivated by ethnicity," said Kidd.

The Bosnian State Prosecutor said Serbian war criminals Zeljko Mejakic and Momcilo Gruban witnessed the brutal treatment of detained Bosnian civilians and it called upon the Trial Chamber to announce them guilty "for having failed to undertake actions in order to prevent the crimes committed in the Omarska concentration camp."

The Bosnian State Prosecutor is due to continue presenting its closing arguments related to Serbian war criminal Dusko Knezevic.

Serbian war criminals Mejakic, Gruban and Knezevic are charged with participating in rape, murder, beating and forcible detention of Bosnian civilians in the Omarska and Keraterm concentration camps from May to August 1992,during the Serbian aggression against Bosnia.

"Mejakic was not the architect of the Omarska concentration camp but he took care of the efficient functioning of the concentration camp and he was a loyal follower of the concentration camp system. Gruban was not violent and he did not participate in crimes but we ask you to sentence him because he gave a longstanding and loyal contribution to the maintenance of that criminal system," said the Bosnian State Prosecutor Peter Kidd.

Speaking about the indictees, Kidd said that Serbian war criminal Zeljko Mejakic was "the only chief of security" in the concentration camp. Many people considered that he had an authority in the concentration camp and that he was not "a helpless observer, whose only weapon was a pencil."

"Mejakic supported the abuse system, who had the authority to intervene and stop the suffering of the detainees. I must stress that Gruban had the power and he proved, by his actions, that he could give orders to other guards," said the Bosnian State Prosecutor.

The indictment alleges that, from May 24 to August 30, 1992, Serbian war criminal Zeljko Mejakic was commander of the Omarska concentration camp and he was "superior to all three guard shift members" and he had real control over the work and behaviour of all guards and other persons "employed" in the concentration camp. The indictment further alleges that, in that period, Serbian war criminal Momcilo Gruban was one of the three guard shift commanders in the Omarska concentration camp.
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