here - Humanitarian Law Center/Fond za humanitarno pravo

Cimeše. On the way there, they came across Mehmed Hrkić and Mile Vukelić. They only
exchanged hellos with them and continued on. Hrkić and Vukelić were walking and talking to
each other, and Vukelić carried a semi-automatic-rifle over a shoulder. A month later, when fresh
soldiers came to their battle line, the accused heard that Mehmed had been killed. They had
known Hrkić from before the conflict and there was no bad blood between them and Hrkić.
Hrkić’s brother and nephew were with them on the same battle line, as members of the VRS.
The accused believed that Mile Vukelić incriminated them because he saw Mehmed with them
immediately before the murder.
Witness Branko Romić, who at the relevant time worked as a police inspector with the SJB in
Bosanski Petrovac, stated that he examined the crime scene after the station duty officer had
informed him about the murder of Hrkić. During the examination, he attempted to interview local
people from the village of Bjelaj, but no one wanted to say who had killed Mehmed. The witness
noted that in the period in question several Muslim civilians had been killed to avenge the murder
of 18 members of VRS’s Petrovac brigade killed earlier.
Witness Rade Sovilj, father of the accused Neđeljko Sovilj, stated that he learned of the murder
of Mehmed Hrkić from his neighbors and claimed not to know anything else about the event.
Before Hrkić was killed, the witness had heard about the killing of 15-16 fighters of the Petrovac
Brigade. He had lived in the village of Bjelaj until 1995, when he left the village and moved to
Serbia together with other villagers. He visited Bjelaj in 1998 with the idea of coming back to in
his village once more, but the village had been burned. While in the village, he spotted “You
killed Mehmed” daubed on Mile Vukelić’s house.
1.8. Miloš Lukić 85
Criminal proceedings are being conducted before the Higher Court in Prokuplje. 86 against Miloš
Lukić for the murder of Hamdija Maloku on 24 April 1999 in Podujevo/Podujevë. During 2012,
one trial day was held during which two victims and two witnesses were heard.
Proceedings of the case
On 14 June 1999, District Prosecutor’s Office in Prokuplje indicted Miloš Lukić for murder. 87
Lukić was charged with murdering ethnic Albanian Hamdija Maloku on 24 April 1999 in
Rahman Morina Street in Podujevo/Podujevë (Kosovo). According to the indictment, the
accused, on meeting Maloku, ordered him to halt. Maloku failed to obey and instead started to
step backwards and stood behind a tree. When Maloku put his hand in a pocket, the accused,
85 Higher Court in Prokuplje, K No 1/10.
86 The presiding judge was Ivan Rakić.
87 Article 47 (1) of the CC of the RS.
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