Koricanske stijene: Prosecutor Asks for Lengthy Sentences

State Prosecutor Slavica Terzic called on the Court to sentence Zoran Babic, Milorad Radakovic, Milorad Skrbic and Dusan Jankovic to long-term imprisonment. She did not ask for a lengthy prison sentence in the case of Zeljko Stojnic because he was 21 years old when the crime was committed.

“The murdered persons had the right to life. The indictees deprived them of that right and they should bear the responsibility for that.

“According to an analysis of the death register, the indictees destroyed 7,120 years of life at Koricanske stijene over just a couple of hours on August 21, 1992,” Prosecutor Terzic said in her closing arguments.

The indictees are charged with having escorted a convoy of about 1,200 Bosniaks and Croats, who were transported from Prijedor to Travnik on August 21, 1992.

The indictment alleges that the indictees separated about 200 men from other convoy passengers on Mount Vlasic and shot them at Koricanske stijene.

The Prosecution considers that the four indictees were members of the Interventions Squad with the Public Safety Station in Prijedor, while Jankovic was Commander of the Police Station.

Terzic said that numerous Prosecution witnesses, including survivors of the shooting committed at Koricanske stijene and former members of the Interventions Squad, confirmed that the indictees participated in the crime for which they are charged.

“The indictees are responsible for the separation and murder of civilians, as well as stealing from and forcibly deporting Bosniak and Croat civilians.

“The Prosecution has proved that some members of the Interventions Squad knew what would happen to the men travelling with the convoy on August 21. The plan for a broad and systematic attack evolved into a joint goal to kill people,” Terzic said.

She explained that the witnesses “who accidentally survived the shooting” said that the persons who shot at them were members “of a well-coordinated team” and they “knew what they were doing”.

“Witnesses saw Babic in Tukovi, where the men were separated from other convoy passengers, while Damir Ivankovic confirmed to have seen him shooting civilians. Also, he said that Radakovic handed over the ammunition to be used for the murders at the location at which the men were separated,” the Prosecutor said.

Damir Ivankovic previously concluded a guilt admission agreement with the court. After having testified against the other members of the Interventions Squad, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison. After his admission, Gordan Djuric and Ljubisa Cetic also admitted guilt for crimes committed at Koricanske stijene. Djuric was sentenced to eight and Cetic to 13 years in prison.

“Ivankovic, Djuric and Cetic saw Skrbic, who claimed in his defence to have stayed with civilians in a broken down bus, at the location where the separation took place,” Terzic said, adding that the indictee got on the bus with civilians after attending the shooting.

The Prosecutor said that Jankovic was responsible for the establishment of the Interventions Squad, adding he performed a managerial function on the day when the crime was committed because he was replacing Simo Drljaca.

“Miroslav Paras could not have ordered the murder of more than 200 people. This could have been done by Chief Simo Drljaca, but, considering the fact that he was away, the order could have been issued by the Commander of the Police Station, who was replacing him at the time,” the Prosecutor said in her closing arguments.

Miroslav Paras, the Commander of the Interventions Squad at the time of the incident, has since died. Drljaca died during the course of his arrest in 1997.

The Prosecutor said that many witnesses confirmed that Stojnic was among the convoy escorts and he was recognised as one of the men who stole from civilians.

The Defence of Zoran Babic and Milorad Radakovic are due to present their closing arguments on December 13, 2010.