| Press Release |
REGISTRY
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| (Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document) |
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The Hague, 8 April 2005
CVO/MOW/958e
Charges Against Milorad Trbič Unsealed
Today, 8 April 2005, Judge Antonetti ordered the public disclosure of the charges against Milorad Trbic, charged in the same indictment as Vinko Pandurevic (see Press Release 952e). Milorad Trbic was transferred to the Detention Unit of the Tribunal on 7 April 2005. His initial appearance has been scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 13 April 2005 at 8 a.m. in Courtroom III.
The amended indictment against Milorad Trbic and Vinko Pandurevic was confirmed on 24 March 2005 by Judge Liu. On 30 March 2005, Judge Liu granted an order pertaining to non-disclosure of the supporting materials until further order. He also ordered that the original indictment dated 1999 against the accused Pandurevic be withdrawn.
According to the indictment, Milorad Trbic, born on 22 February 1958 in the village of Ponijevo, in Zenica, joined the Bosnian Serb Army (VRS) when the war in Bosnia started. He was appointed to the position of Deputy Commander of the 3rd Battalion of the Zvornik Brigade. He was later transferred to the security organ of the Zvornik Brigade. In July 1995, he held the rank of reserve Captain. He continued to hold this position during the remainder of the period relevant to the indictment. He was an assistant to and reported directly to Lieutenant Drago Nikolic (see Press Release 951e), Chief of Security of the Zvornik Brigade.
Charges
The indictment charges Milorad Trbic on the basis of his individual criminal responsibility (Article 7(1) of the Tribunal Statute) with:
One count of crimes against humanity (Article 5 of the Statute – murder)
Factual Allegations
The indictment states that, between about 11 July 1995 and 1 November 1995, "Vinko Pandurevic, Milorad Trbic, and others, planned, instigated, ordered or otherwise aided and abetted in the planning, preparation or execution of a planned and organized mass execution of thousands of captured Bosnian Muslim men from the Srebrenica "safe area"".
The indictment states that during this operation, among other things, Milorad Trbic participated on 14 July 1995, in the killing of 20 Bosnian Muslim males in front of the gymnasium of the Grbavci School in the village of Orahovac, where hundreds of Bosnian Muslim males had been detained. VRS personnel from the Zvornik Brigade then transported these Bosnian Muslim males from the school at Grbavci to a nearby field, where personnel, including members of the 4th Battalion of the Zvornik Brigade, ordered the prisoners off the trucks and summarily executed them with automatic weapons. "Milorad Trbic assisted in loading the Muslim men onto the trucks to the execution sites and assisted in the executions by shooting Muslim men with his rifle. Approximately 1000 Bosnian Muslim males were killed".
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The full text of the indictment is available on the Tribunal’s website.
Hard copies can also be obtained from the Media Office.
All proceedings can be followed live on the Tribunal’s website www.un.org/icty.
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International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
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