Karadzic: Citizens Unaware of Murders in Srebrenica
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At that time Katanic was Secretary of the Serbian Democratic Party, SDS in Bratunac and Deronjics close associate. As he said, Karadzic appointed Deronjic as commissioner for Srebrenica on July 11, 1995, when the VRS occupied the town.
In his written statement, which was included as evidence, the witness pointed out that, in the evening on July 13 Deronjic told him about the mass murder of hundreds of Bosniak prisoners in Kravica village, adding that he believed that Deronjic informed Karadzic about it immediately.
On that same day Katanic saw colonel Beara, Security Officer with the VRS Main headquarters, in Deronjics office, while speaking to someone over the phone and asking for gasoline.
In 2010 the Tribunal passed down a first instance verdict, sentencing Beara to life imprisonment for genocide in Srebrenica.
Karadzic, former President of Republika Srpska, RS and supreme Commander of VRS, is charged with genocide against more than 7,000 Bosniaks from Srebrenica. The indictment alleges that Serb forces killed about 1,000 prisoners in a warehouse of the Kravica Co-operative.
Besides that, the indictee is charged with persecuting Bosniaks and Croats throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, terrorising civilians in Sarajevo by long-lasting artillery and sniper attacks and taking members of United Nations, UN peacekeeper hostage in the period from 1992 to 1995.
According to the witness statement, when the buses with hundreds of Bosniak men from Srebrenica arrived in Bratunac on July 12 and 13, 1995, Deronjic arranged, with Karadzics help, for those people to be taken away and not to be killed in the town. The witness said that, on the basis of what Deronjic said, he concluded that Beara and VRS Commander Ratko Mladic wanted the murders to happen in Bratunac.
Mladic is awaiting the beginning of his trial before the Hague Tribunal for genocide, crimes against humanity and violation of the laws and customs of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The witness said that, once the prisoners had been taken away, bodies of about 30 killed Bosniaks remained in classrooms of the Bratunac school building on July 14, 1995.
While Karadzic, who is representing himself at this trial, was cross-examining him, Katanic denied having told prosecutors that it was known, at that moment, that the prisoners would be killed.
Those people were detained. At that time it was not known that they would be killed, Katanic said.
Responding to indictees allegations, the witness confirmed that he just assumed that Karadzic helped Deronjic in his efforts to transfer prisoners from Bratunac to the Zvornik surroundings, contrary to the original intention of Colonel Beara and General Mladic.
Had I told Deronjic that the prisoners should be killed, he would have told you that, Karadzic said. Katanic responded by saying that Deronjic had never told him such thing.
When Karadzic indicated that Deronjic did not know that the Bosniaks would be killed, the witness said that citizens did not know that.
In 2004 the Tribunal sentenced Miroslav Deronjic to 10 years in prison after having admitted guilt for crimes against Bosniaks in Glogova village, near Bratunac. He then testified at several trials of indictees, who were charged with genocide and other crimes in Srebrenica. During the course of his testimony he said that, on July 13, 1995 Colonel Beara, who was drunk, told him, while they were in his office in Bratunac, that all Bosniak prisoners from Srebrenica would be shot as per an order from the top.
Deronjic died in a prison in Sweden, where he was serving his sentence, in 2007. However, after his death the Tribunal admitted his testimonies at several trials, including the one against Karadzic, as Prosecution evidence.
The trial of Karadzic is due to continue on Monday, February 13. R.M.
