IT-05-88-T 34436 D 34436 - D 34127 23 April 2010 PvK THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA Case No. IT-05-88- T IN TRIAL CHAMBER 11 Before: Judge CarmeI Agius, Presiding Judge O-Gon Kwon Judge KimberIy Prost Judge Ole Bj~rn St~Ie Registrar: Mr John Hocking Date Filed: 23 April 2010 THE PROSECUTOR v. VUJADIN POPOVIC LJUBISA BEARA DRAGO NIKOLIC LJUBOMIR BOROVCANIN RADIVOJE MILETIC MILAN GVERO VINKO PANDUREVIC LJUBOMIR BOROVCANIN'S PUBLIC AND CORRECTED FINAL TRIAL BRIEF The Office of the Prosecutor: Mr Peter McCloskey Counsel for the Accused: Mr Zoran Zivanovic and Ms Mira Tapuskovic for Vujadin Popovic Mr John Ostojic and Mr Predrag Nikolic for Ljubisa Beara Ms JeJena NikoJic and Mr Stt~phane Bourgon for Drago NikoJic Mr Christopher Gosnell and Ms Tatjana Cmeric for Ljubomir Borovcanin Ms Natacha Fauveau-Ivanovic and Mr Nenad Petrusic for Radivoje Miletic Mr Dragan Krgovic and Mr David Josse, Q.C. for Milan Gvero Mr Peter Haynes, Q.C. and Mr Simon Davis for Vinko Pandurevic 34435 LJUBOMIR BOROVCANIN'S PUBLIC AND CORRECTED FINAL TRIAL BRIEF 1. The Borovcanin Defence herewith files, as Annex A, a public and corrected version of its Final Trial Brief as filed on 30 July 2009. Redactions have been made to conceal the identity of protected witnesses, and non-material corrections have been made to the text. Word count: 53. Respectfully submitted. This 23 rd day of April 2010 #P(~S+ Christopher Gosnell and Tatjana Cmeric Counsel for Mr Ljubomir Borovcanin IT-05-88-T 1 23 April 2010 34434 Ljubomir Borovcanin's Final Trial Brief 30 July 2009 Public and Corrected Version filed 23 April 2010 34433 Table of Contents Introduction ................................................. ;............................................................................................... 1 . 11 Prologue: Operations Against the Srebrenica Enclave and Borovcanin's Arrival ................................... 3 III The legislative Framework of the RS Armed Forces, Order 64/95 and the Consequences of Mr Borovcanin's Resubordination to the VRS in July 1995 ............................................................................ 5 (i) Legislative Framework ........................................................................................................................... 5 (ii) Order 64/95 Resubordinated Borovcanin and His Units to the VRS .................................................. 9 (Hi) VRS Rules and Regulations Applied to the MUP Units While Resubordinated ................................ 12 (iv) The Units Described in Order 64/95 and Functional Designations Within the MUP ...................... 14 (v) Two Independent MUP Chains of Command: Borovcanin and Vasic ............................................... 18 IV a Borovcanin Had No Involvement in the Conditions that led to the Mass Departure of the Muslim Population from Srebrenica and He Was Powerless to Prevent That Exodus Once it Had Begun ...... 23 (i) Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 23 (ii) Prelude: Conditions Inside the Enclave Were Worsening, Increasing Pressure Amongst the Civilian Population to Leave the Enclave ..................................................................................................... 24 (iii) The Nature of the Attack on Srebrenica ............................................................................................. 27 (iv) Tipping-Point: The Departure of Muslim Combatants and Civilians from the Srebrenica Enclave, 11 July ........................... :... ,; .............................................................................. ,.............................................. 34 (v) Implications; Any Assistance Provided by Borovcanin, Directly or Indirectly, to the Evacuation Process Does Not Constitute Forcible Transfer ........................................................................................... 41 (vi) The Impact of Alleged Coercion by General Mladic at the Hotel Fontana Meetings ...................... 43 IV b Borovcanin's Role in Securing the Terrain Around Potocari on 12 July Was Not Unlawful or Improper, Nor Does It Show Involvement in a Forcible Transfer JCE ...................................................................... 44 (i) Prosecution Allegations .................................... ,.. ,........ ,............................................... ,........ ,............. 44 (ii) Overview ......................................................................... ,................... : ................................................. 45 (Hi) Discussion ............................................................................................................................................. 45 IV c Borovcanin's Role in Allowing the Deserters' Unit to Assist the Evacuation Does Not Demonstrate Any Intent to Commit Forcible Transfer .................................................................................................. 54 (i) Prosecution Allegations ....... ,............................................................................................................... S4 (ii) Overview ............................................................................ ,..................... ,.... ,.,' ... ,., .. , .. ' .......... ,', .... , ... , .. 55 (iii) Discussion .... ,........... , ... , .............. , ........... ,., ..... , ..... ' .. , ............................................................................ 56 1. Borovcanin Was Not Present in Potocari During the Evacuation Process ................................... 56 2. The Deserters Were under the Effective Command and Control of Radoslav Jankovic and Momir Nikolic in Respect of their Actions in Support of the Evacuation Process in Potocari ............. 61 IT-05-88-T 30July 2009 34432 3. Borovcanin's Compliance With Mladic's Order to leave the Deserters' Unit in Potocari to Assist with the Evacuation Process Is Not Indicative of Any Criminal Intent or That He Was a Participant in a JeE .................................................................................................................................... 69 4. Borovcanin Is Not Responsible for Forcible Transfer of the Detainees from the Column Taken into Custody on 13 July and Sent to Zvornik from Bratunac on 14 July ................................................ 74 IV d Borovcanin Bears No Superior Responsibility for Forcible Transfer ...................................................... 76 (i) Prosecution Allegations ................ : ...................................................................................................... 76 . (ii) Overview ............................................................................................................................................... 76 (iii) Discussion ............................................................................................................................................. 77 Va The Killings at Kravica Warehouse ............................................................................................................ 82 (i) Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 82 V b The Tactical Setting: The Movement of the Column and the Deployment of Serb Forces in the Area, 12-13 July ................................................................................................................................................... 83 V c The Events at Kravica Warehouse on 13 July .......................................................................................... 91 (i) Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 91 (ii) The Sequence of Events on 13 July ..................................................................................................... 91 (iii) Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................... 101 V d Who Committed the Crimes at Kravica .................................................................................................. 102 (i) Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 102 (ii) The Prosecution Called None of the Available Eyewitnesses Who Could Have Identified Participants in the Kravica Warehouse Killings ......................................................................................... 103 (iii) Circumstantial Evidence ..................................................................................................................... 104 I. A Variety of Soldiers and Units Were Present Along the Bratunac-Konjevic Polje Road Throughout 13 July .................................................................................................................................. 104 2. Momir Nikolic Along the Road ...................................................................................................... 109 3. No Evidence, Direct or Indirect, Shows That Anyone from the 2nd Sekovici Detachment Escorted the Prisoners from Sandici Meadow to Kravica Warehouse, or Guarded Them Once They Arrived There ..........................................................................................................................................