Jevic et al: Threatened Witness

“The inspector threatened me by saying I would be put in prison and lose my job. He said: ‘Could it have happened this way?’. I signed the statement without reading it. I made a mistake,” witness Stanislav Vukajlovic said. He was a member of the “Jahorina” Training Center with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska, MUP RS, in July 1995.

The witness recognized indictees Dusko Jevic, Mendeljev Djuric and Nedjo Ikonic in the courtroom, saying they were superior officers at the Training Center.

The three indictees and Goran Markovic are on trial for participation in the forcible resettlement and murder of Bosniaks in the Srebrenica area in July 1995. The indictment alleges that Jevic was Commander of the Center, Djuric and Ikonic were company Commanders and Markovic was a squad Commander.

Witness Vukajlovic said that he was deployed, together with other Center members, to the part of the road leading from Konjevic Polje to Sandici for a few days, adding that a group of them were tasked with searching the mountainous area near Sandici.

“There were more buses, trucks and cars than usual… Our task was to guard the road and ensure the normal flow of traffic. We were not given more specific tasks,” the witness said.

He told the Court that, prior to taking the road leading to the hills, he saw soldiers and policemen, as well as women and children getting on the buses in the Sandici area, but he said he did not see male detainees. This made the Prosecutor present him with his statement given in 2005.

“At that time you said: ‘People driving in a Land Rover used megaphones to invite Bosniaks to surrender. They said they would be exchanged. A large number of people were gathered in a meadow. Jevic approached the group of people. Later on they were taken towards Konjevic Polje,” Prosecutor Ibro Bulic said.

Vukajlovic responded by saying that the statement was partially correct, adding he said he heard about some people who had surrendered, but he did not personally see them.

“When I spoke about prisoners, I also referred to the people who passed by us in buses. (…) I told SIPA investigators that I heard about some men who had surrendered, but I did not see them. He asked me whether anyone was captured and I said no. Then he said: ‘How come?’,” the witness explained, adding he and indictee Jevic occasionally “passed by each other” in those days.

The witness said he had never been to Kravica, where, according to the indictment, members of the Training Center participated in the shooting of more than 1,000 detained Bosniaks.

“I responsibly say that I did not go beyond Sandici, but I cannot say whether other people did. I have not heard anything about it,” Vukajlovic said.

The Defence presented the statement the witness gave to the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina last year. The Defence attorneys said the statement was the same as the one given in the courtroom.

The trial is due to continue on Thursday, October 7.