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McQueen explained that the members of the First Battalion of the Zvornik Brigade of the Republika Srpska Army had to know that the Srebrenica prisoners would be killed, because that was what happened with about 150 to 200 Muslims from Zvornik who were killed in June 1992 near the Cultural Centre in Pilica.
”The Srebrenica prisoners were brought to Pilica, because this area was considered suitable for mass murder. There was no chance of exchange. If members of the First Battalion thought there would be an exchange of the prisoners they would not have been counted and there would have been members of the International Red Cross and prisoners would not have been held in inhumane conditions,” said McQueen, adding that there was only one outcome, which is execution.
Momir Pelemis and Slavko Peric are charged by the state prosecution with participation in genocide in Srebrenica.
Pelemis and Peric are charged with participating in the killings of about 1,200 people from Srebrenica in Branjevo Military farm on 15 and 16 July 1995, and the killings of 600 men in the Cultural Centre in Pilica (Zvornik municipality).
According to the indictment, Pelemis was deputy commander of the First Battalion of the Zvornik Brigade, VRS, at that time while Peric was the deputy commander for security.
The expert said that members of the First Battalion should have prevented the execution of Srebrenica prisoners.
“The First Battalion was responsible for the Srebrenica prisoners. Members of the battalion were responsible and they should have prevented prisoners being harmed by members of Tenth Sabotage Detachment of the General Staff of the Serbian Army (VRS),” said McQueen.
The trial will continue on June 15.
