Bosnian state court

Edin Gadzo's defence lawyer urged the Bosnian state court on Friday to acquit his client, arguing that he could not have issued any orders to detain anyone because he was just a driver.

But even though inter-ethnic relations remain highly sensitive, members of Chetnik associations from Bosnia and Serbia who participate in these events did not face any consequences for staging their rowdy celebrations and singing nationalist songs that seem to threaten bloodshed until last year.

Defence lawyer Senad Dupovac told the Bosnian state court in his closing statement on Friday that numerous witnesses at the trial of Senad Dzananovic and Edin Gadzo had given contradictory statements, and called for an acquittal.

The Bosnian state court found former Bosnian Army Third Corps commander Sakib Mahmuljin guilty on Friday of failing to prevent murders and inhumane acts by members of the El Mujahideen unit in Vozuca and Zavidovici areas during the Bosnian war.

"In his capacity as commander he failed to prevent the commission of inhumane acts," said presiding judge Zoran Bozic.

In closing statements at the Bosnian state court on Thursday, defence lawyers for Medaris Saric and Mirko Bunoza called for them to be found not guilty of participating in a joint criminal enterprise that aimed to detain and kill Serb civilians in villages in the Trnovo area, and of unlawfully detaining, killing and inhumanely treating captured Bosnian Serb Army soldiers from May 1992 to July 1

The Bosnian state court has refused to confirm the prosecution's indictment charging Radomir Nedic, the wartime commander of the Bosnian Serb Army's First Majevica Brigade, and Ratko Djurkovic, the commander of the First Battalion of the First Majevica Brigade, with having command responsibility for crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The Bosnian state court discontinued proceedings against Milorad Krunic, who was accused of committing crimes against humanity in the Sanski Most area in 1992, because he has died.

"In the case against Milorad Krunic, the court has rendered a decision to discontinue the criminal proceedings against him due to the defendant's death," the state court announced.

The trial of Predrag Bastah, who is accused of crimes against humanity for his involvement in the executions of 37 civilian prisoners at Mracni Dol in the Vlasenica municipality, opened at the Bosnian state court on Monday.

The Bosnian state prosecution on Thursday charged Jovan Satara, Boсko Savkovic, Sekula Sisic, Bosko Bilic, Zdravko Balaban, Jordan Ilic and Nenad Tanasic with committing crimes against humanity against Bosniak and Croat civilians in the Donji Vakuf area during the war in the spring and summer 1992.

The appeals chamber of the Bosnian state court has upheld the verdict sentencing ex-soldiers Branko Cigoja, Zeljko Todic and Sasa Boskic to 14 years in prison each for crimes against civilians in Oborci near Donji Vakuf in September 1995, BIRN has learned.

The acquittal of a fourth defendant, the men's commander, Milorad Glamocak, was also upheld.