Local Justice – Markovic: Policemen Did not See the Indictee

Predrag Krsmanovic, former Chief of the State Security Section, which was located in the Police Station premises in Sokolac, said that he neither saw the indictee in that building nor heard that Bosniak civilians were abused on the ground floor of that building.

“I am saying that Markovic was never a member of the Police Station in Sokolac. I cannot confirm that prisoners were not physically and mentally abused in the police building, but it never happened in my presence. Had it happened, I would have prevented it. Had people been physically mistreated, we would have probably heard screams and moans. I never heard them,” Krsmanovic said.

The Prosecution charges Markovic, former member of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS unit in Han Pijesak, with having beaten up and physically abused detained civilians in Sokolac municipality from June 1992 to March 1993.

The Eastern Sarajevo District Prosecution charges Markovic with having beaten Hasan Dugic and Fikret Sirco up in the Police Station premises in Sokolac in September 1992.

According to the charges, Markovic physically abused Osmo Ibrahimovic, known as Kaba, in “Petar Kocic” school building in Cavarine village.

The Prosecution charges Markovic with having beaten Bajro Kundak up in the “Slavisa Vajner Cica” school building in Sokolac in June 1992.

Witness Krsmanovic said that he conducted informative interviews with prisoners, but he did not notice any signs of abuse on them.

“Members of the Army rarely brought the persons, who were then detained in the police building. When they did, it was done with the purpose of collecting informational data or for the sake of their personal safety. In some cases, local residents would bring somebody for the sake of personal safety,” Krsmanovic explained.

Krsmanovic, as well as Predrag Cajic, Dragomir Obradovic and Veljko Borovcanin, who testified in the defence of indictee Markovic at this hearing, said that the “Petar Kocic” school building in Sokolac was assigned to the Army and that they did not know what happened inside the building.

“I never saw Markovic in the police building. (…) The school was used by the Army. I did not have access to that building, so I cannot say whether it was used as prison. I do not know where Markovic was,” said Predrag Cajic, former State Security Inspector in Sokolac.

Dragomir Obradovic, former Commander of the Public Safety Station in Sokolac, said that indictee Markovic never worked with police, adding that he never saw him in the police building.

Veljko Borovcanin, former Chief of Crime Service in Sokolac, pointed out that the indictee never came to the Police Station.

Defence witnesses Krsmanovic, Cajic, Obradovic and Borovcanin confirmed that, besides indictee Markovic, they knew another person with the same first and last name, adding that the person was from Han Pijesak.

The trial is due to continue on June 13, when new Defence witnesses will be examined.