Retired General Refuses to Enter Plea in The Hague
He says he was arrested in Serbia and then illegally transported to Bosnia-Herzegovina. Lajla Mlinarić T.Lj:/Fena Bosnian Serb Republika Srpska Army retired general Zdravko Tolimir did not enter a plea in front of the Internatio nal Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague on Monday, claiming that he had been apprehended in Serbia, whose citizen he is, and was then illegally transferred to Republika Srpska in Bosnia-Herzegovina. According to ICTY regulations, Tolimir will be arraigned again in a month so he can enter a plea on charges of genocide and other crimes against Muslims in Srebrenica and Zepa in Bosnia-Herzegovina. “I was transported to BH against my will” -I was arrested in Serbia, whose citizen I am and transported to Republika Srpska, whose citizen I am not, against my will and without the right to an attorney. I was then taken to a location near Bratunac, the location of almost all charges against me, I do not know why. I was taken to a location at which I have never been before for no need – Tolimir said. Significantly thinner than on photographs of the Hague tribunal and with a hoarse voice, Tolimir suggested that by transferring him to Republika Srpska after his arrest, the Serbian authorities were refusing him his rights that he had as citizen of Serbia. He added that “the tribunal and the public have been deceived” with an official statement that he had been arrested in Republika Srpska. He refused to confirm his identity Refusing to confirm his identity, he said: “I do not deny myself, others deny me”. He also said that he did not know why Serbia, which had a warrant for his arrest, had not extradited him to the ICTY. “My identity, my rights and my country have been denied to me”, Tolimir said. He asked that the circumstances of his arrest and extradition, contrary to tribunal regulations, be ascertained by the ICTY in out-of-court proceedings before his next arraignment. Tolimir said that after his arrest in Serbia he had been transferred to Bijeljina in Bosnia-Herzegovina for unknown reasons and then to the Bratunac area where he had been photographed next to military and police facilities. He was then transferred to Banja Luka where Justice Ministry officials had offered benefits for his family if he accepted Republika Srpska citizenship, which he refused. “I had no access to an attorney” Stating that he had been handed to NATO troops and a Hague tribunal representative at an unknown location, Tolimir asserted that he had not had access to an attorney at any time. He also said that he had been “publicly and secretly” recorded for more than 50 hours and that the recordings could prove that he was telling the truth. Speaking about his health, Tolimir said it was poor, that he had suffered three strokes and his weight had dropped from 84 to 58 kilograms. Prosecutor Peter McCloskey announced he would move for the trial of Tolimir to be united with the trial of seven other Republika Srpska officers that has been ongoing for six months now. Judge Kimberly Prost, who is in the panel of judges in the process against the seven officers, commented he was awaiting the prosecutor’s motion with interest. He represented himself During his first appearance before the ICTY, Tolimir represented himself, refusing a court-appointed attorney. During the war in Bosnia Tolimir was assistant to the commander of Republika Srpska army’s General Staff, Ratko Mladic, in charge of intelligence and security issues. He has been charged with genocide, associating to commit genocide, eradication, killing, persecution and displacement of Muslims from Srebrenica and Zepa from July 1995 to November 1995. A delegation of the Mothers of Srebrenica association was present for Tolimir’s first court appearance. http://www.javno.com/en/world/clanak.php?id=50107
