Marjanovic: Seeing Father for the Last Time

Witness Suad Bajic, who was less than nine years old in 1992, said that Marjanovic and a few other soldiers stopped his family at the entrance to Babljak village, Rogatica municipality.

“Marjanovic and another soldier told us to get into a white VW Golf. We were transported to Borike, near Rogatica. Zoran and my father got out of the car. I saw Zoran taking him towards two soldiers,” Bajic said, adding that this was the last time he saw his father.

The witness said that another vehicle, which, as he thought, was an ambulance, came and two drivers told them to get in and drove them to the school building in Rogatica. The witness, his mother, two brothers and
sister were held in the school building for seven days before being transported to the Olovo area, which was controlled by the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH.

Marjanovic, who acted in collaboration with a few other members of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, is charged with having arrested a Bosniak family, consisting of a married couple and four minors, in Marina Homora village, Rogatica municipality on June 19, 1992.

According to the charges, the family was then taken to Borike. Unknown members of VRS took the mother and children away and detained them in “Veljko Vlahovic” school building in Rogatica, while the father was taken in an unknown direction. He has been missing since.

Mevlija Bajic, Suad’s mother, testified for the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina at this hearing. She said that she was taken, along with her husband and four children, from the locality known as Marina Homora to Borike on June 19, 1992.

“Somebody said: ‘Stop’. As we climbed up a little bit more, I saw Zoran Marjanovic and another man. They loaded us into a white golf. They did not tell us where we were going,” witness Mevlija said, adding that she had known the indictee from before.

She said that they drove them to the church in Borike, where they got out of the car. She told the Court that another vehicle was parked there, adding that she got in that vehicle with her children later on. Mevlija said that two soldiers were holding her husband Nurko by his shoulders at that place, while the indictee and the two men, who had driven the vehicle, told them to get in.

“My youngest son Ismet starts crying, as he does not want to leave his father. Zoran tells him that his father will come back soon. He says that no harm will be done to him. We have not heard anything about him since,” Bajic said.

As she said, they transported her and the children to the “Veljko Vlahovic” school building and then transferred them to Olovo area.

The trial is due to continue on November 2 this year.

A.J.