Sefer
HALILOVIC,
born on 6 January 1952
in Prijepolje, Sandzak, Serbia |
| Voluntarily
surrendered: 25 September 2001
Transferred to ICTY: 25 September 2001
Initial Appearance: 27 September 2001, pleaded
"not guilty" to all counts
Provisionally released: 13 December
2001
Pre-trial stage |
|
The Indictment ("Grabovica and Uzdol")
Factual allegations:
According to the Indictment, confirmed on 12 September 2001, in 1993
the ABiH, in 1993, planned and conducted a military operation in Herzegovina
called "NERETVA-93", the main purpose of which was to capture
territory held by the Bosnian Croat Forces ("HVO") from
Bugojno to Mostar by launching offensives within this area and thereby
ending the blockade of Mostar.
It is alleged that, on 8 September 1993, there was continuous shooting
in the village of Grabovica. Over the next two days the bodies of
the Bosnian Croat civilians were seen in the village alongside the
Neretva river and floating in the river. In all 33 Bosnian Croat
civilians named in the indictment were killed in Grabovica.
Further, on 14 September 1993, in the course of Operation NERETVA-93,
the Prozor Independent Battalion attacked the vilwlage of Uzdol
which was then exclusively inhabited by Bosnian Croat civilians.
During the course of the attack 29 Bosnian Croat civilians and one
HVO prisoner of war were killed in Uzdol.
According to the Indictment, Halilovic held the post of Deputy
Commander of the Supreme Command Staff of the ABiH as well as Chief
of the Supreme Command Staff of the ABiH from 18 July 1993 to until
November 1993. From 21 August 1993, Halilovic was Head of an Inspection
Team to command and co-ordinate the "NERETVA-93" operation
and as such Halilovic was the most senior military commander for
the operation in the field.
It is alleged that, notwithstanding his duties as a commander,
Halilovic did not take effective measures to prevent killings of
civilians in Grabovica and did not take steps to carry out a proper
investigation to identify the perpetrators of the killings in both
Grabovica and Uzdol and as commander of the operation to punish
them accordingly. Further, Halilovic planned and was instrumental
in the implementation of military operations carried out by the
units which took part in the "NERETVA-93" operation.
Charge:
The Indictment charges the Accused on the basis of superior
criminal responsibility (Article 7(3) of the Statute of the Tribunal)
with:
Violations of the laws and customs of war (Article 3 - murder).
Trial
The Halilovic case is at the pre-trial stage. The trial is scheduled
to commence on 24 January 2005.
Trial Chamber I:
Judge Liu Daqun (Presiding), China
Judge Amin El Mahdi, Egypt
Judge György Szénási, Hungary
Counsel for the Prosecution:
Philip Weiner
Sureta Chana
Counsel for the Defence:
Peter Morrissey
Guenaël Mettraux
|
