Kos et al: Low-spirited and Nervous Soldiers

Testifying in defence of indictee Franc Kos before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Velibor Popovic said that Miso Pelemis, former Commander of the Tenth Reconnaissance Squad of VRS, gave them the order to conduct the operation, but members of the Squad did not know where they were going. He said that they did not have a possibility to reject any order that they received. 

“All orders were given by Miso Pelemis. I think that members of the Tenth Reconnaissance Squad did not dare reject his orders. They did not even have a possibility to do such thing,” Popovic explained, adding that people were sent to prison and then to front lines in case they were disobedient. 

The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina charges Franc Kos, Stanko Kojic,Vlastimir Golijan and Zoran Goronja with genocide in Srebrenica and participation in the murder of more than 800 men and boys on Branjevo military farm in July 1995. 

The indictment alleges that Kos was Commander of the First Unit with the Tenth Reconnaissance Squad of the VRS Main Headquarters, while Kojic, Golijan and Goronja were members of that Squad. They allegedly jointly shot prisoners, some of whom were tied and blindfolded.

As he continued testifying at this hearing, Popovic mentioned that he could not say for sure whether Kos participated in the shooting of prisoners on Branjevo farm, because he, personally, did not participate in that event.

“I was lucky enough not to be with ‘my guys’ on Branjevo. On that day they urgently transported me to a hospital in order to donate blood. That is how I saved myself. Later that day I found out that a group of men was transferred to Branjevo, but I did not know what was happening there,” Popovic said, explaining that he heard about the murder of prisoners in Branjevo in March 1996 only.

During the course of cross-examination by the Prosecution Popovic said that he did not discuss the Branjevo task with any of the members of the Tenth Reconnaissance Squad, but he could remember that, after being brought back from Branjevo, the soldiers looked low-spirited and nervous and had a distraught look in their eyes. 

“According to the agreement signed by all members of the Tenth Reconnaissance Squad, we were not allowed to speak about the operations in which we participated. So, I did not ask anyone about it,” the witness explained.

At the end of his testimony Popovic said that the Tenth Reconnaissance Squad of VRS grew into “a powerful unit”, whose members participated in sabotage operations only. He said that the Squad members were well-prepared, responsible and good soldiers, adding that Franc Kos was one of them.

The trial is due to continue on October 11, 2011, when two witnesses will testify in defence of the first indictee.

D.E.