Klickovic et al.: A Dark Spot on Podgrmec History

On the second day of his testimony for the Defence of Gojko Klickovic, indicted for crimes committed in Bosanska Krupa, Miroslav Vjestica said that members of the military police kept information about the abuse and murder of detainees in “Petar Kocic” school building secret.

“Later on I found out that the Army had established a temporary military prison in ‘Petar Kocic’ school building, which was guarded by military policemen. It was late 1992 when I found out about the abuse, as they kept information about it secret. The man who did this is a dark spot on Podgrmec history,” Vjestica said.

Gojko Klickovic, Mladen Drljaca and Jovan Ostojic are charged with having participated in murder, forcible resettlement, assault, looting, torture and forcible detention of non-Serbs from Bosanska Krupa in the course of 1992.

It is further alleged that a person named Joja Plavanjac killed several men who were detained in the “Petar Kocic” school building in early August 1992.

“There were not so many victims in our municipality in comparison to others. I remember protected witnesses A1 and A6 asking me what to do. I told them that nobody could guarantee their safety any more,” Vjestica said.

Prosecution witnesses A1 and A6 testified under protection measures in February 2009. During the course of their testimony they said that they were resettled from Arapusa village, together with other residents, and moved to the Sanski Most area on May 1, 1992.

The indictment alleges that, “in accordance with a written order issued by Gojko Klickovic”, the Muslim residents of Arapusa, Zaline, Veliki Dubovik, Velika Jasenica, Zaluge, Krupa town and Potkalinje were forcibly resettled to the Bihac and Sanski Most area on May 1, 1992.

This witness said that he found out, in 2002, after having read some documents presented to him by investigators of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY, during the course of his examination, that the first indictee and the Crisis Committee in Krupa allegedly “ordered Muslims to hand in their weapons”.

During the course of the examination of Vjestica, first indictee Klickovic denied that there was such an order.

This witness told the Court that he did not know of the temporary Court Martial in Krupa, because “there were no decisions on its establishment”, adding that the functioning and work of crisis committees and wartime presidencies were regulated by law.

The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina suspects that Vjestica took part in the crimes committed in Bosanska Krupa. For this reason he did not take an oath prior to his testimony at the trial of these three indictees.

The trial is due to continue on Tuesday, June 16, when Miroslav Vjestica will be cross-examined.