Trbic: Witness Statements Denied

On the second day of his testimony, Alistair Graham – the first prosecution witness to appear at the trial of Milorad Trbic – has answered questions from the defence.

Attorney Milan Trbojevic said that he denies this witness’ statement who, inter alia, claimed, that Trbic showed him the locations of some mass graves in the vicinity of Srebrenica and that the indictee spoke about his role in the crimes committed in July 1995.

The indictment alleges that Trbic was assistant commander for security of Zvornik Brigade with the Republika Srpska Army (VRS) and that he participated, together with other members of the army and police, in the execution of more than 7,000 men in July 1995.

Answering the defence’s question, Graham – an investigator with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) – denied that Trbic was promised that his family would be protected, through a witness protection programme, if Trbic told the truth.

The indictee examined the witness saying that he could not confirm his previous statements because they were given “under pressure and they were forced”. According to Trbic, Graham told him that an indictment would not be filed against him. The witness denied giving any sort of guarantee or making any offers to Trbic.

Second prosecution witness Bruce Bursik, who is also an ICTY investigator, described how he took photos of some locations. He claimed that Trbic had told him, during their joint visit to those places, that they were execution locations or mass graves.

The witness said that Trbic did not provide information about new locations, because they actually visited the locations which had already been known to them.

Bursik denied the indictee’s allegation that the investigators actually showed him these locations.

Third witness Miodrag Dragutinovic, the former assistant commander of Operational and Educational Affairs HQ with the VRS Zvornik Brigade, confirmed that Trbic was assistant commander for security of that brigade.

The indictment alleges that, on July 16, 1995, Trbic was a duty officer in the Zvornik brigade headquarters, and, in that capacity, he “enabled, coordinated and performed communication among the VRS officers who implemented the operation consisting of arrest, detention, transport, execution and burial of Bosniak men, capable of performing military service, from Srebrenica”.

Dragutinovic said that it was possible for an operations officer on duty to take the commanding role and that, “if there is not enough time to do otherwise”, the orders may have been given orally.

Dragutinovic also said that, at the meeting attended by the commanders and Bosnian Serb army general Ratko Mladic held in July 13, “it was concluded that the 28th Squad of the Army of BiH presented a danger” and therefore the Zvornik Brigade headed towards Zepa area “as per an order issued by Mladic”.

The prosecutor showed the witness a document, which he identified as “Brigade Commander Vinko Pandurevic’s report submitted to the headquarters”. The witness read some extracts from the document which indicate that “the municipality of Zvornik was crowded by Turks from Srebrenica” and that “about 3,000 Turks” were located in the school buildings, while “7,000 of them were in the forests”.

The trial is due to continue on December 3.