Peric et al: Policemen Spoke about Murders

Testifying at the trial for crimes committed in Kalinovik area, protected witness T, former policeman with the Public Safety Station in Kalinovik, said that his Serb neighbours from Jelasac village told him that indictees Peric, Terzic and Cerovina participated in taking of Bosniaks away from that village in 1992.

 “What my neighbours told sounded very convincing. They said that Terzic and Cerovina took Hasna Custo’s minor son away too,” protected witness T said.

 The State Prosecution charges Peric, Terzic and Cerovina, as well as Spasoje Doder, former members of the Public Saftey Station in Kalinovik, with having participated in crimes committed against the non-Serbian population in that area in 1992. According to the charges, they unlawfully arrested civilians and took them to “Miladin Radojevic” school building and “Barutni magacin” (“Gunpowder Depot”) detention camp, where most of the detainees were killed. 

Protected witness T said that policemen guarded “Miladin Radojevic” school building in Kalinovik, adding that he knew that murders were committed in the building, because “policemen spoke about that”. The witness said that members of “paramilitary units” killed non-Serb detainees, who were held in “Barutni magacin”, after the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH, had occupied Rogoj, Kalinovik municipality, and a few Serb soldiers had been killed.

As further said by protected witness T, at the beginning of August 1992 fire was opened at Jelasac village. He said that, one day later he passed through the village, accompanied with two other policemen, and saw a minor girl, who was covered with blood, lying next to her grandmother, who was dead.

 “We transported the girl to the dispensary. We then handed her over to her aunt, who was detained in ‘Miladin Radojevic’ school building,” witness T said.

 Mirveta Pervan testified at this hearing too. She said that she came to Jelasac village to visit her grandmother Dervisa and grandfather Bajro in 1992.

“I was five years old at the time. We were at my cousin’s when I heard a detonation. My grandmother then took me in her arms and we started running away. She got killed, while I was wounded. I spent the night next to her. I was hit on my face. Everything was covered with blood,” Pervan said, adding that “Serb soldiers” took her to the dispensary on the following morning and handed her over to her aunt, who was held in “Miladin Radojevic” school building.

 Witness Pervan was held in the school building for about a month before being exchanged, together with her aunt. The witness said that the body of her grandmother Dervisa had still not been found.

 Milivoje Faladzic testified as the third Prosecution witness at this hearing. The former reserve policeman with the Public Safety Station in Kalinovik said that he went to Jelasac village, together with protected witness T and another policeman, in order to inform Bosniaks, who had received invitations for civil duty, to come to the municipality building in Kalinovik. The witness said that, after they had come to that place, all of them were detained in “Miladin Radojevic” school building.

Faladzic said that, after a few Serb soldiers had been killed on Rogoj at the end of July 1992, women were also detained in the school building for security reasons due to potential revenge.

 Witness Faladzic, who guarded “Miladin Radojevic” school building for two days, said that nothing happened to the detainees, who were held in the building.

The trial is due to continue on May 10 this year, when the Prosecution will examine three new witnesses.

A.J.