Grieving Bosnian Mother Waits to Confront Karadzic

Dzenana Sokolovic from Sarajevo is waiting for the trial of the former Bosnian Serb leader, Radovan Karadzic, to begin on October 26.

The trial, before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY, will start with the presentation of introductory arguments by the Prosecution. After two days in which the Prosecution presents introductory arguments the examination of the 30 witnesses will begin.

Although she does not know the exact date when she will face Karadzic in court Sokolovic knows it might happen on the anniversary of her son’s death on November 18, 15 years ago.

Nermin was only seven when a Bosnian Serb sniper shot him dead. Dzenana was wounded at the same time.

Death beside the hotel:

Karadzic, former President of the Republika Srpska, is charged with genocide, crimes against humanity and violation of laws and practices of warfare committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995.

The indictment alleges that from April 1992 to November 1995 Karadzic participated in a joint criminal enterprise with an aim of initiating and implementing the sniper campaign and shelling of civilians living in Sarajevo.

It further alleges that the shelling and sniper fire was conducted with an aim of “killing, mutilating, wounding and terrorizing the civilian population in Sarajevo”.

Sokolovic has already spoken about the day that changed her life forever when she testified at the trial of Dragomir Milosevic.

The former commander of the Sarajevo-Romanija Corps with the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, was sentenced in January 2007 by a first-instance verdict to 33 years in prison for his role in the siege of Sarajevo. A second-instance verdict is due soon.

Dzenana Sokolovic says she testified at that trial, and will testify at the forthcoming trial, to honour her son’s memory. “I have never been afraid of the truth and I said if they invited me I would go,” she said.

“It means a lot to me to say what happened about my son because, as people say, you feel relieved in some way when you let it all come out.”

Sokolovic remembers the Sunday he died in 1994. “I told Nermin to come with me to the school building to fetch firewood but he was reluctant and said: ‘No, mummy, I want to go to granny’s.’ I somehow persuaded him to come, so he joined us,” she said.

There was not much shooting until they reached the Holiday Inn hotel and passed the transporter of the UN peacekeeping force, UNPROFOR. She was carrying some firewood.

“My boy was on my left-hand side. I didn’t feel anything when a bullet penetrated my body from my right side and hit him straight on the cheek,” she said. “I remember watching him falling down.” She still has the sweater that Nermin wore on the day he died.

During the siege of Sarajevo, many civilians were killed in the vicinity of the Holiday Inn, which was located near the centre of town but within reach of the Serbian snipers positioned in the tower blocks in the adjacent Serb-held suburb of Grbavica. Most victims were killed by sniper bullets.

Dzenana remembers that some UNPROFOR soldiers who were in transporters at a nearby checkpoint tried to help her and her son. “I had lost a lot of blood but I remained conscious until the ambulance vehicle arrived and took me to hospital,” she said.

“My husband visited me on the second or third day. I asked him about Nermin. It never even crossed my mind that he had been killed.”

Sokolovic has told her story before and will say it again in court in The Hague. “It was not Karadzic who shot [my son] but he gave the orders,” she said.“ Nobody claims he or [Serbian leader Slobodan] Milosevic shot at us, but they gave the orders to the [Bosnian Serb] Army.

“He skipped me but got my child.”

Sokolovic says the passage of the years has dimmed neither the pain nor the memory. “He is always on my mind, no matter whether I am awake or asleep,” she said.

“He was only seven when he died. He was a clever boy and would sit with me and ask: ‘So, mummy, how are we going to do this? What shall we do?’”

Sokolovic said that even if she had had many other children the ache caused by his loss would still remain. “It was just a child… with blond curly hair and big green eyes. Nobody can replace him.”

One of many dead children:

After the death of her son Dzenana had him buried in the city’s Humka cemetery because there was space there when all the other cemeteries were full.

“I didn’t have the money for a tombstone so I got a donation from some charity for the purpose,” she said. “I still visit his grave although when I come back from the cemetery I feel half dead for a week.”

Today she lives with her two sons and husband in a small apartment in Bistrik, in Sarajevo. After Nermin’s death in 1994, she gave birth to another son and named him Nermin.

Near where her son died a plaque has been put up, listing the names of all people killed there during the war. For some reason, Nermin’s name is not among them.

“I’m surprised they did not include his name because he was killed there,” Sokolovic said. “So much for our state! Do they think those other people are better than him?”

Although she is ready to speak at Karadzic’s trial, Dzenana Sokolovic has spent much of the past 15 years in virtual silence. “I feel best when I am alone because silence suits me,” she said. “Back then I did not have electricity or water. Now we have got everything – but not a life!”

The Hague Prosecution considers Sokolovic’s testimony will help to prove their claims regarding the 1,425-day siege of Sarajevo.

The siege was the longest of its kind in modern history and civilians were exposed to sniper fire and shelling throughout. Most of the time there was no electricity or water.

There are no precise data concerning the number of victims but recent estimates suggest at least 10,000 people were killed. The figure includes about 1,000 children. Nermin was one of many.

Aida Alic is a BIRN – Justice Report journalist. [email protected]. Justice Report is an online BIRN weekly publication.