Today, before the High Court in Podgorica, the trial began of Zoran Gašović, a Montenegrin police officer charged with a crime against humanity committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992.

According to the indictment of the Special State Prosecutor’s Office, Gašović, as a member of the Bosnian Serb civil police, during the non-international armed conflict between the Army of Republika Srpska and the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from early May to mid-December 1992, in the Hadžići municipality, took part in a widespread and systematic attack directed against the civilian population.

The indictment is being presented by Special Prosecutor Tanja Čolan Deretić before a panel composed of Presiding Judge Simo Rašović and Judges Ana Delić and Dragan Babović.

Gašović is accused of participating in killings, enslavement, forced displacement, torture, rape, persecution on religious and ethnic grounds, unlawful detention of civilians, and other inhumane acts that inflicted severe suffering and seriously endangered the health of the victims.

The case is the result of cooperation between Montenegro and the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, which, in addition to providing expert support in preparing the indictment, submitted approximately 5,000 pages of evidence.

The indictment covers incidents at the municipal building, the sports hall, and the Garaga (Garaža) facility in Hadžići, where civilians – Muslims/Bosniaks and Croats – were unlawfully detained and subjected to various forms of abuse and inhumane treatment, with additional unspecified cases of a similar nature also reported.

He is also charged with the rape of a pregnant woman, who had previously been subjected to additional torture and suffered a miscarriage as a result of the abuse.

The indictment also details other instances of enslavement at Planjina House and the ‘Butmir’ Correctional Facility, as well as numerous individual cases of intimidation, abuse, and other forms of inhumane treatment, with the total number of victims reportedly exceeding 500.

In his defense, Gašović denied the charges and stated that he would respond only to questions from his lawyer, Danilo Mićović, and would not answer questions from the Court, the Prosecutor’s Office, or the victims.

He stated that during the relevant period he served in the reserve police force in Hadžići, that he spent at most one to two hours per day at the ‘Garage’ facility due to family obligations, and that in 1992 he questioned only a few individuals (between four and nine), rather than the numerous cases alleged against him, denying any involvement in the crimes. He added that he would respond to the evidence during the proceedings, when he would present all of his knowledge, and expressed hope of proving his innocence before the Court.

At today’s hearing, 16 witnesses and victim-witnesses from Bosnia and Herzegovina appeared. However, it was evident in the courtroom that none of them had been previously briefed on the course of the proceedings, the way testimony would be taken, or whether they could attend the reading of the indictment. All of these matters were addressed only during the hearing, causing a degree of unrest and dissatisfaction. This situation clearly underscores the urgent need for the High Court in Podgorica to promptly establish a service to support witnesses and victims, ensuring that proceedings are as minimally burdensome as possible for them.

HRA calls on the High Court in Podgorica to urgently establish a service to provide support to witnesses and victims, noting that the witnesses and victims present were not timely briefed on how they would participate in the proceedings.

The trial is scheduled to continue on 26 February, with further hearings set for 9, 13, and 25 March, during which the testimony of witnesses and victim-witnesses is expected.