Planincic et al: Cousin Planned an Attack

Witness Mehmed Sadikovic, who was elected Chief of the Territorial Defence Headquarters in Kotor-Varos in June 1992, said that “the Bosnian Krajina Autonomous Region forces from Banja Luka entered Kotor-Varos on Greater Eid” on June 11, 1992.

“They said that they had taken the control over the town, that they would guarantee security and that we should express loyalty to Republika Srpska and hand over our weapons,” the witness said, adding that the villages, whose inhabitants failed to hand their weapons over and express loyalty were attacked.

Sadikovic said that he was personally against the attacks on the surrounding Serb villages, but he heard that Serdari village was attacked and that civilians were killed in September 1992.

“Mu cousin Besim Cehic planned the attack. If he were alive, he would certainly be the first indictee in this case,” Sadikovic said.

As he said, his cousin Cehic told him that indictee Fikret Planincic performed a task in Sakane village on that day, because he knew the terrain well, while indictee Sead Menzil and his team refused to carry out the order and went to Hanifici village in order to “do something”.

According to the charges, 16 Serb civilians were killed in the attack on Serdari on September 17, 1992. Fikret Planincic, Rasim Lisancic, Sead Menzil and Mirsad Vatrac, former members of the Territorial Defence in Kotor-Varos, are on trial for having participated in the attack.

Considering the fact that the trial was interrupted for more than a month due to illness of indictee Rasim Lisancic, the trial began anew, but both parties agreed not to re-examine the witnesses, who had already testified at this trial.

The trial is due to continue on June 12, when the Defence of the indictees will cross-examine this witness.
M.B.