Damjanovic: Witness speaks of surviving massacre

Although he was initially announced as a protected prosecution witness, Zaim Rizvanovic refused protection measures and said that he would tell “the truth about the suffering and execution” which he survived.

Rizvanovic testified against Goran and Zoran Damjanovic, who are charged by the prosecution that they, as members of the Serb army, took part in the beating of a group of men in the Sarajevo settlement Bojnik in 1992.

According to Rizvanovic, the attacks on village Ahatovici and shelling started at the end of May of that year, and lasted for a few days.

“A shower of shells came down,” the witness described.

Rizvanovic and other Ahatovici residents organised themselves into armed guards so that, as he said, they could “defend the village”. Still, their defence was not strong enough and Serb units entered the village. Some men were killed immediately, others surrendered, Rizvanovic said.

“We surrendered to the Serb army with our hands up in the air,” the witness claimed, adding that they were not armed at the time of their surrender.

All detainees were taken in front of a store in Bojnik, where Serb soldiers were waiting for them, armed and drunk.

“They held beers and cognac and said ‘here come the balijas and ustashas’ [derogatory names for Muslims and Croats],” the witness said.

All detainees had to stand next to the wall in front of the store in Bojnik, and their documents and money were taken away from them. The witness recognised Goran Damjanovic among the soldiers.

“He carried an automatic gun, three grenades on his belt and a police nightstick,” Rizvanovic said and added that the indictee was wearing JNA (Yugoslav National Army) uniform at the time.

According to his words, Goran Damjanovic ordered him to turn around and asked him whether they knew each other, which Rizvanovic confirmed, after which the indictee started hitting him first with his foot, then with his nightstick on the head, due to which the witness started losing consciousness.

Then, according to the words of this witness, Goran Damjanovic started hitting Kasim Sehic, who was standing next to him.

After an hour of abuse, all detainees were taken in buses in which, Rizvanovic said, they had to sing “chetnik songs”.  They were taken to a detention camp in Rajlovac, near Sarajevo.

After spending two weeks in this camp in Rajlovac, all detainees were loaded onto a bus onto which the soldiers then “shot shells, threw grenades and shot from automatic guns”.

Of the 56 detainees, eight survived, including Rizvanovic.

The witness said that he does not know who exactly shot at the bus.

In the courtroom he recognised both of the indictees stating that he went to school with them, but only connected Goran Damjanovic with the crime that took place in Bojnik.

“We played football together, hung out.  We were friends,” Rizvanovic said.

The continuation of the main hearing is scheduled for October 17.