8/2/2019 Serb Soldier's Life "Ruined" by Srebrenica Killings

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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.

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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

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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.