Djukic: Ricochet

The Trial Chamber questioned Manojlo Milovanovic as the last witness at the trial of Novak Djukic, thus completing the presentation of evidence. 

Milovanovic, wartime Deputy of VRS General Staff Commander Ratko Mladic, who has been on the run for years, said there was never a plan to occupy Tuzla, adding that he assumed that the projectile that hit Kapija could have “made a ricochet” in the course of the “Dubrava” airport shelling.

“Tuzla airport was shelled. The projectile that hit Tuzla could have fallen there as a result of a ricochet,” the witness said, adding that, if this was the case, the caliber of the projectile would be 76mm.

The indictment charges Djukic, former Commander of the Ozren Tactical Group with the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, with having ordered a subordinate Squad to shell Tuzla, using 130mm cannon, on May 25, 1995. On that day 71 people were killed and more than 200 were wounded in the part of the city known as Kapija.

Milovanovic told the Court that on May 25, 1995 NATO forces bombarded the VRS positions, adding that all VRS forces were executing defensive tasks on that day.

“For the entire day we were busy defending ourselves from NATO attacks. All our efforts were defensive. We confronted the local enemy only if we were attacked,” Milovanovic said.

He said that on the same day UNPROFOR declared a “red alert” in Zivinice and Tuzla, which meant that they “were ready to open fire”.

“Considering the fact that UNPROFOR declared a red alert, how come the movement of civilians was allowed at all? Tuzla is a big city. Its authorities had to undertake actions in order to protect its residents. I cannot claim that there was no shelling at all, but I am not sure whether it has been determined who shelled the city,” the witness said.

Milovanovic said that he heard about the Tuzla shelling from media reports broadcast after the war, when the anniversary of the event was observed.

“I heard that one single shell could not have caused such severe consequences. It is impossible for one explosion to kill 71 people (…) I may not be the right person to comment on this, but one should check what exploded at Kapija on that day,” he said.

Asked whether the VRS attacked the protected zones, including Tuzla, in response to NATO attacks, the witness said that he “could neither confirm nor deny this”, adding that VRS revenge was directed at UNPROFOR not at its enemy.

“As far as I know our men did not shell the protected zones. Our units had instructions not to open fire in order not to reveal their positions and become open targets. I cannot confirm that nobody opened fire, but if Mladic had ordered such actions I should have seen the order,” the witness explained.

The witness confirmed that Djukic was Commander of the Tactical Group, which was situated on Mount Ozren, but he said that he was surprised to see him being appointed to the function.

“It was strange, because he was a security officer. His appointment was not appropriate. He was not a soldier, but a specialized officer, dealing with issues that had nothing to do with the front lines,” Milovanovic said.

The Prosecution and injured parties’ representatives are due to present their closing arguments on May 19, 2009.