serb soldier's life "ruined" by srebrenica killings
Post on 06-Apr-2018
218 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
-
8/2/2019 Serb Soldier's Life "Ruined" by Srebrenica Killings
1/3
SerbSoldier'sLife"Ruined"bySrebrenicaKillings
ProsecutionwitnessdescribeshowBosniakprisonerswerelinedupandshot70ofthembyhim.
ByRachelIrwin-InternationalJustice-ICTYTRIIssue731,2Mar12
Anex-soldierintheBosnianSerbarmywhoparticipatedintheexecutionofover1,000Bosniaksduringthe1995SrebrenicamassacretestifiedthisweekinthetrialofformerBosnianSerbpresidentRadovanKaradzic.
DrazenErdemovic,whoservedinthe10thSabotageDetachmentoftheBosnianSerbArmyduringtheconflict,hastestifiedinnumerousprevioustrialsattheHaguetribunal.
In1998,ErdemovicpleadedguiltytomurderasawarcrimeandwassentencedtofiveyearsinprisonforparticipatinginexecutionsattheBranjevofarmonJuly16,1995.
Atonepointduringthisweekscross-examination,Karadzicwhorepresentshimselfinthecourtroomaskedthewitnesswhyhedecidedtospeakoutandtellprosecutorshisstory.
WhydidIdecidethat,MrKaradzic?IdecidedthatbecauseIrealisedmylifehadbeenruinedonthatday,andbecauseofallthepersonswhowerevictimsonthatday,thewitnessreplied.
Erdemovichasestimatedthathepersonallykilledabout70oftheapproximately1,200menwhoweregunneddownatthefarmthatday.Hehassaidhecarriedouttheexecutionsbecausehewasthreatenedwithdeathifherefusedtheorder.
TheeasternBosnianenclaveofSrebrenicafelltoSerbforcesonJuly11,1995,andinthedaysthatfollowed,some8,000Bosniakmenandboyswerekilledatvarioussitesinthesurroundingarea.ThemassacrehasbeenclassifiedasgenocidebyboththeHaguetribunalandtheInternationalCourtofJustice.
Karadzic,whowasBosnianSerbpresidentfrom1992to1996,ischargedwithindividualandsuperiorresponsibilityforSrebrenica,aswellasforthe44-monthsiegeofSarajevothatleftnearly12,000peopledead.
Theindictmentwhichlists11countsintotalallegesthathewasresponsibleforcrimesofgenocide,persecution,extermination,murderandforcibletransferwhichcontributedtoachievingtheobjectiveofthepermanentremovalofBosnianMuslimsandBosnianCroatsfromBosnianSerb-claimedterritory.
KaradzicwasarrestedinBelgradeinJuly2008after13yearsontherun.WitnesstestimonyinhistrialgotunderwayinApril2010.
AccordingtotheprosecutionssummaryofErdemovicsevidence,thewitnesslefthis
militarybaseinVlastenicaonthemorningofJuly16,1995withsevenothermembersofhisunit.TheystoppedinZvornik,andalieutenant-colonelinBosnianSerbarmyuniformandtwomilitarypolicemenfollowedthegroupbycartotheBranjevofarm.
Oncetheyarrived,thelieutenant-colonelspokewithBranoGojkovic,whowasinchargeoftheunitinwhichErdemovicwasserving.AsprosecutinglawyerChristopherMitchelltoldthecourt,GojkovictheninformedthegroupthatbusescarryingciviliansfromSrebrenicawouldbearriving,andthesepeopleweretobekilled.
-
8/2/2019 Serb Soldier's Life "Ruined" by Srebrenica Killings
2/3
Thefirstgroupoftencivilianswhoweretakenoffthebuswereblindfoldedandhadtheirhandstiedbehindtheirbacks,saidMitchell,readingfromthesummary.Theywereescortedtoasiteabout100to200metresawayfromthebus,andlinedupinarowwiththeirbackstotheexecutionsquad.
Gojkovicthengavetheordertoshoot,andthewitnessandsevenothermembersoftheunitopenedfirewithautomaticrifles.Thispatterncontinuedfromlatemorninguntilthreeorfourintheafternoon,theprosecutorsaid.
Oneofthesoldiersintheunit,AleksandarCvetkovic,apparentlysuggestedthattheyshouldusemachinegunstokillthemenbecauseitwouldbefaster.
However,aquarrelsoonbrokeoutovertheuseofthemachinegunbecauseitwascausingsevereinjuriestocivilianswithoutactuallykillingthem,Mitchellsaid.
CvetkovicwasarrestedinIsraelinJanuary2011afterBosniafiledarequestforhisextradition.ThecaseiscurrentlypendingbeforeIsraelsSupremeCourt.
Duringtheexecutions,anothergroupofsoldiersarrivedfromBratunactojoinin,theprosecutorsaid,andtheykicked,punchedandcursedtheprisoners,andalsobeatthemwithriflebuttsandmetalbarstheyfoundonthefarm.
Thelieutenant-coloneleventuallycamebackandsaidtherewereanadditional500prisonersatthePilicaculturalcentrewhoalsohadtobeexecuted,butErdemovicandsomeothersoldiersrefusedtogo.
Instead,thesoldiersfromBratunacwenttotheculturalcentretokilltheprisonersandErdemovicandhisfellowsoldierswereinstructedtomeetthelieutenant-colonelatacoffeebarnearby.Whenthewitnessarrivedthere,hesawseveraldeadbodiesinfrontoftheculturehallandheardgunfireandexplosions,theprosecutorstated.
ErdemovictoldthecourtthathewenttoSerbiain1996anddecidedtogiveaninterviewtoajournalistfromABCNewsaboutwhathehadseenanddone.HewasarrestedbySerbiasstatesecurityservicesshortlythereafter,hesaid.
ProsecutinglawyerMitchellpresentedthewitnesswithanorderthatKaradzicissuedonMarch23,1996,aboutcreatingamixedexpertcommissiontoinvestigatetheallegeddiscoveryoftwodecomposingbodiesfoundonthesceneofearlierbattleswiththeMuslimsideinthePilicaarea.
Tothejournalist,orinthestatementtotheSerbian[police],didyoudescribeeventsatBranjevoasbattleorcombat?Mitchellaskedthewitness.
No,Erdemovicsaid.
WereyouengagedinconflictwiththeMuslimmenkilledatBranjevofarmonJuly16,1995?Mitchellasked.
No,theywerenotarmed,thewitnesssaid.
WhenitwasKaradzicsturntocross-examinethewitness,hespentagreatdealoftimegoingovertheexacttimelineofthedayandhowlongeverythingtook.
Howlongdidittakeforthetenblindfoldedindividualstogetfromthebustotheexecutionsite?Karadzicasked.
MrKaradzic,itwasntpossibleformetofollowallthis,tokeep[an]eyeonmyw
-
8/2/2019 Serb Soldier's Life "Ruined" by Srebrenica Killings
3/3
atchtoseehowlongittook,Erdemovicsaid.
Sotheeightofyouopenedfireonthetenofthem,isntthatcorrect?Karadzicasked.
Iopenedfireonthepersoninfrontofme,MrKaradzic,thewitnessreplied.
Soifyouopenedfireonthepersoninfrontofyou,thenyoukilledfiveindividualsfromthatbus,correct?Karadzicasked.
MrKaradzic,IdidntcountthenumberofpeopleIkilled,Erdemovicresponded.IfyuthinkIkilledfiveofthem,thatisyouropinion.
Theprisonershadtheirbacksturnedtoyou,isthatcorrect?Karadzicaskedatonepoint.
Yes,thewitnesssaid.
Whatwasthepurposeofblindfoldingtheminthatcase?Karadzicasked.
TheyalreadyhadtheseblindfoldsoninthebusesandasfarasIcanremember,inthefirstbustheirhandsweretiedbehindtheirbacks,Erdemovicsaid.Idontknowwhotookthisdecisionorwhytheydecided[themen]shouldbeblindfolded.
Later,KaradzicaskedthewitnesswhetherhehadfiredattheprisonerswiththeintentionofdestroyingtheMuslimsasanethnicgroupinBosnia.
No,MrKaradzic,thewitnesssaid.
Whywasthiskillingtakingplace;whatweretheintentionsinvolved?theaccusedasked.
Idontknowexactly,MrKaradzic,whowaskillingwithwhatintentionsinmind,Erdemovicsaid.AsfarasIcouldsee,somepersonsreallyenjoyedtorturingothers.
Thetrialcontinuesnextweek.
RachelIrwinisanIWPRreporterinTheHague.
top related