Peric et al: Finger on the Trigger
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The State Prosecution witness, who testified under the pseudonym of R, said that Aleksandar Cerovina, known as Sasa, and a Mandic, former policemen with the Public Safety Station in Kalinovik, came to his house, armed with guns, with an intention to find weapons.
“They came to my door, holding automatic guns. Their fingers were on the trigger. They said they were looking for weapons and wanted to search the house. They found my gun and told me to get ready,” the witness said.
The protected witness said that he was then taken to the police station, adding that another acquaintance of his was arrested at the same time. As he said, Mandic and indictee Cerovina then took them from the police station to “Miladin Radojevic” school building, where he saw many detainees, including women and children.
“They arrested all Muslims from Kalinovik. Nobody informed me why they brought me to the school building,” witness R said.
The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina charges Cerovina, Milan Peric, Spasoje Doder and Predrag Terzic, former members of the police in Kalinovik municipality, with having participated in crimes committed against the non-Serb population in that municipality in 1992.
The Prosecution alleges that the indictees unlawfully arrested civilians and took them to the “Miladin Radojevic” school building and “Barutni magacin” (“Gunpowder Depot”) detention camp, where most of the detainees were killed.
The protected witness said that he stayed in the “Miladin Radojevic” school building for about two weeks before being transferred to “Barutni magacin”. He stayed there until July 25, 1992, when he volunteered for performing civil duties and used the opportunity to flee to the territory controlled by the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“About 72 men were held in ‘Barutni magacin’. We were not allowed to go out except when we had to go to the toilet. Almost none of those men stayed alive,” the protected witness said.
The witness said that, during the course of his detention in “Miladin Radojevic” school building nobody mistreated him, adding that indictee Cerovina did not treat him in an incorrect manner.
The trial is due to continue on September 6this year.
A.J.
