Ivanovic: Unknown Tasks

“When we went on missions, we just knew where we were going, but we did not know what our tasks would be,” Dragisa Zivanovic, former member of the Second Squad with the Special Police Brigade of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska, MUP RS, said in his testimony before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina has charged Zeljko Ivanovic, known as Arkan, with genocide committed in Srebrenica in July 1995.

The Prosecution considers that Ivanovic, as a member of the Second Squad, participated in the arrest of more than 1,000 men from Srebrenica, helped escort them to the Kravica Agricultural Cooperative and participated in the shooting of the men on July 13 that year.

The indictment alleges that Ivanovic was aware of the plan for the execution of male Srebrenica residents who were capable of serving in the military, and the forcible resettlement of women, children and the elderly. He allegedly “went to execute the enterprise with full knowledge of the facts”.

Witness Zivanovic was previously on trial before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the same crime but he was acquitted of all charges by a second instance verdict.

The witness said he was in the field in the vicinity of Sarajevo in June 1995, adding he returned home at the end of that month in order to make preparations for saying farewell to his brother, who was going to begin his military service, while the Second Unit went to the field.

“I think that Ivanovic was with me in the field in June 1995, but I cannot say for sure,” Zivanovic said, answering questions posed by the Trial Chamber.

The trial is due to continue on December 2, when the Defence will examine Velibor Maksimovic, another former member of the Second Squad who was acquitted of the charges for genocide committed in Srebrenica by a second instance verdict.