Kujundzic: Fantasy world

Ljiljana Karanovic, who appeared as a Defence witness at the trial of Predrag Kujundzic, told the Court that she had met witness 2 in January 1997, when she “started working with me in a restaurant in Derventa”, adding that they had quickly become “good friends”.

“We shared an apartment for some time. She used to speak about her life. She told me that she had been christened in Derventa in 1996. She said that she had taken a Serb name voluntarily because of one man, who had helped her so much and whom she had loved. His name was Predrag Kujundzic,” Karanovic said, adding that she had a friendly relationship with witness 2 until the end of 1998.

The State Prosecution charges Kujundzic, former commander of the “Predini vukovi” (“Predo’s Wolves”) Unit, with having participated in crimes against civilians committed in Doboj Municipality in 1992 and 1993. 

The indictment alleges that from June to December 1992 Kujundzic raped and sexually enslaved witness 2, who was a minor at the time, changing her “Muslim name into a Serb one” and forcing her to have sexual intercourse with other soldiers.

“She said that Kujundzic had protected her from other people during the course of the war, adding that he had helped her, as well as her sister and mother a lot. She mentioned that she had fallen in love with him. They used to see each other in Doboj,” Karanovic said, adding that she had never met indictee Kujundzic.

Karanovic told the Court that she accompanied witness 2, when she went to “her hometown”, adding that, on this occasion, witness 2 showed her the location at which she had been wounded and another location at which her brother had been killed.

“She spoke about that day, saying that fierce fighting was taking place near the village, also mentioning a heavy shelling. She was running away, with her sister, brother and mother, when she got wounded and her brother was killed,” the witness said.

Commenting on witness 2’s personality, Karanovic said that she was “a happy person, who loves socializing and easily establishes contacts with people”.

“She used to make up many stories. She lived in her own fantasy world, rather than in reality. However, I knew her so well that I could tell when she told me something that was not true,” Karanovic said.

The next hearing is due to take place on March 9, 2009.