Klickovic et al: “Population movement order”

Testifying as a Prosecution witness, Bozo Erceg, a former member of the Territorial Defence, TD, in Donji Petrovici, Bosanska Krupa Municipality, spoke about the participation of members of “Suha rebra” (“Smoked ribs”) in crimes committed in Arapusa, adding that Gojko Klickovic was the person who “ordered movement” of civilians from this settlement.

“Some Arapusa residents told me that,” Erceg said, “after ‘Suha rebra’ members had robbed them and killed one woman. After that we guarded the settlement for a few days. A short time later we received an order to move the residents away. It was for this reason that Muslim representatives wanted to speak to Gojko Klickovic and Miroslav Vjestica.”

Erceg, testifying at the trial of Gojko Klickovic, Jovan Ostojic and Mladen Drljaca, said that he was “commander of a Territorial Defence Unit” in Donji Petrovici from April 24, to mid May 1992.

The Prosecution charges Klickovic, Ostojic and Drljaca with a number of crimes committed in the Bosanska Krupa area in 1992. Among other things, the three men are charged with having participated, together with Vjestica, in a joint criminal enterprise which started in the summer of 1991.

The indictment alleges that “Serbian soldiers”, who surrounded Arapusa, allowed members of a paramilitary group to enter the village on April 24, 1992. They allegedly robbed the residents, beat up several people and killed a pregnant woman.

“I remember having gone to Krupa, accompanied by Muslim representatives from Arapusa, because the Crisis Committee or wartime Presidency was situated in Krupa. We wanted to discuss population movement. Later on they told me that they had reached an agreement with Klickovic and they would all go to Agici,” Erceg said, adding that Klickovic then rendered another decision, ordering their movement to Kamengrad, in Sanski Most Municipality.

The indictment alleges that on May 1, 1992 all Muslim residents of Arapusa were forcibly moved to Sanski Most, “in accordance with a written order issued by Gojko Klickovic”. 

“He did that for security reasons. I remember us inviting Muslims to stay in Arapusa, but nobody wanted to do that,” Erceg said.

As indicated by the Defence of Gojko Klickovic in the course of cross-examination, in an earlier statement given to the State Prosecution, Erceg said that all Muslim representatives from Arapusa had met with Vjestica, “who was the highest-ranking person in the town”, in order to discuss their movement to Agici.

The second Prosecution witness, Emina Kurtovic, told the Court that she was among other residents of Arapusa who left their homes on May 1, 1992. She said that, a few days before that, she was “brutally beaten up” by “Bijeli orlovi” (“White Eagles”) Unit members.

“I remember that they came to the village one day and beat me up in my house. My whole body was covered with bruises. They had some caps on their heads, camouflage uniforms and guns,” Kurtovic said, adding that one woman was killed on this occasion.

The witness said that Arapusa had been “surrounded” before that. 

The trial is due to continue on Wednesday, February 25.