Koricanske stijene: Help for Family Members

When I needed help the most, I spotted Ljubisa Cetic. He helped my family leave Prijedor with a convoy,” witness O4 said, adding that indictee Zeljko Stojnic escorted the truck in which her family was traveling.

Ljubisa Cetic, Zoran Babic, Milorad Radakovic, Milorad Skrbic, Dusan Jankovic and Zeljko Stojnic, former members of the Public Safety Station in Prijedor and the Interventions Squad with the Station, are charged with the murder of 200 civilians at Koricanske stijene on Mount Vlasic in the vicinity of Travnik.

The civilians were separated from the rest of the passengers traveling from Prijedor to Travnik on August 21, 1992.

“I remember hearing about the murder of civilians on the Croatian news the following day. (…) I visited Dado Mrdja right away. He confirmed that my family was safe. Zeljko Stojnic told me the same. That was all I wanted to know,” witness O4 said.

The Hague Tribunal sentenced Darko Mrdja to 17 years in prison for participation in the murder committed at Koricanske stijene.

During cross-examination the witness said she saw indictee Babic on the day the convoy departed. He was wearing civilian clothes, she said, and he “dispersed people with his dog, while they parked the trucks”. O4 said she saw Babic in front of her house in the afternoon of the same day “driving in a red VW Golf and dressed in civilian clothes”.

The second witness, Djuro Radinovic, a former member of the reserve police forces with the Public Safety Station in Prijedor, was deployed at a checkpoint in the vicinity of the convoy departure location on August 21, 1992.

Radinovic said he saw Ljubisa Cetic, Zoran Babic, Milorad Radakovic, Zeljko Stojnic, Gordan Djuric and Damir Ivankovic on that day, but he said he did not see them leave with the convoy.

In mid 2009 Gordan Djuric and Damir Ivankovic, former members of the Public Safety Station and Interventions Squad from Prijedor, admitted their part in a crime against humanity at Koricanske stijene. They were sentenced to eight and 14 years in prison respectively.

The trial is due to continue on February 23.