Jevic et al: Witness Statement ‘Extorted’

Witness S-101, former member of that Centre, said that he was not present at the Kravica Agricultural Cooperative all the time. The indictment alleges that more than 1,000 Bosniak men were shot in Kravica on July 13 and 14, 1995.

“When those men were invited to come out and when they started to come out, I went to fetch some water and coffee. I was away for about an hour or two. I went away a few more times. I did this on the following day as well,” the witness said.

Due to differences between his statements, Prosecutor Ibro Bulic presented the witness with his statements given during the investigation, but he denied all of them, repeating that he said some things because Bajro Kulovac, an inspector from the State Investigation and Protection Agency, SIPA, pressured him.

“In your statement you said: ‘At about 8 or 9 Nedjo came from Zvornik. Staljin was not there, but Mendeljev was there on that day and the following day. They had a fierce discussion. There were some corpses while Mane was there,” the Prosecutor said, reminding the witness of his statement.

S-101, who began testifying on February 14, 2011, said that those allegations were incorrect, adding that, during the course of the investigation he spoke about the things he had seen, but he gave the details that were suggested to him by Kulovac, who he said threatened and attempted to blackmail him during their several-hour meeting in his family’s house.

“It is not true that Mane was there. The inspector tried to persuade me that Jevic lined up the men in front of the warehouse, but I tried to avoid saying some of things that he said. I had to bear the consequences for all the things I avoided,” the witness said.

Witness S-101 testified at the trial of Dusko Jevic, known as Staljin, Mendeljev Djuric, known as Mane, Goran Markovic and Nedjo Ikonic, who are charged with having participated in the forcible resettlement of the population from Srebrenica and the murders committed in Kravica.

The indictment alleges that Jevic was Commander of Jahorina Training Centre, Djuric and Ikonic were company commanders and Markovic was a squad commander.

The Prosecutor asked the witness to clarify why he said in the courtroom that he saw between three and five corpses in front of the Kravica warehouse, although he said, during the course of the investigation, that approximately 400 to 500 people were killed.

“What I said before the Court is true. During our meeting at the house, Mr. Kulovac had some statements given by other people, so he wanted my testimony to fit in,” S-101 said.

He confirmed that members of his unit killed “a young man” during the search of the area, but he denied his previous allegations that his fellow unit members, nicknamed Arkan and Hercegovac, threw grenades into the warehouse.

“I understand that they may be charged because of that, but my statement was extorted. You have to understand that I was backed against the wall,” the witness said. At the beginning of the hearing the witness said he wanted to keep the protection measures granted by the Court, reversing his previous request to disclose his identity.

The witness is due to be cross-examined on Monday, March 21.

M.T.