Kuvelja: Standing in a Line with Indictee

Protected witness KB-102 said that he did not shot at the men, who had been brought in front of the warehouse, adding that he did not know whether indictee Kuvelja participated in the execution.

“Bozidar was two and a half or three meters away from me. Members of other formations were standing between us…A machine gun was brought, but I cannot confirm if it was given to Kuvelja,” the protected witness said.

KB-102 told the Court that he was arrested in Serbia, just like Kuvelja, and brought, as a deserter, to the police squad on Mount Jahorina. He said that they were then deployed to Srebrenica, when Serb forces were trying to conquer the town in July 1995.

According to the charges, Kuvelja was member of the Jahorina Training Centre with the Special Brigade of Republika Srpska police. He is charged with having participated in the separation of men in Potocari and execution of between 50 and 100 men on July 13, 1995, as well as the execution of a group of about 100 survivors, who were invited to come out of the warehouse.

The protected witness said that members of the Jahorina police squad arrived in Kravica at night, adding that members of a unit from Sekovici, as he heard, had already been there. He heard shooting from automatic guns and screams coming from the warehouse.

The witness said that at dawn he saw members of other formations too, adding that they were calling the captured men by their names. KB-102 said that between 80 and 100 men came out of the warehouse. They were told to kneel down and turn towards the road. He said that a few packages of cigarettes and some water were thrown to them.

The witness said that about thirty members of the Jahorina Squad were standing on the road, while members of some unknown formations were standing between them.

“As they were smoking the cigarettes and passing the bottles of water to each other…those men were calling out their names. There was no order to shoot or fire, but a fierce shooting began. I think that 95 percent of the people were executed in three or four minutes,” the witness said.

The witness said that Kuvelja was standing on his right hand side, adding that they looked at each other a couple of times. He said that he gestured at him with his hand. The witness interpreted the gesture as an encouragement.

“He knew about my family situation. I understood that he was showing to me not to worry or to slide back. I was afraid what might happened if I did not shoot, whether there would be any sanctions,” the witness said.

He explained that he was in a state of shock, adding that, apart from this one, he could not remember any other mass executions.

KB-102 said that, while he was on Mount Jahorina, he usually spent time with a few people only, including Kuvelja, whom he considered “a stable and normal” person in comparison to the others.

The trial is due to continue on October 11.

M.T.