Silos: All Serbs in Favor of Yugoslavia

Witness Milorad Pandurevic, who began his testimony on December 5, in response to the cross-examination said that he did not lead any Territorial Defence unit.

“The Territorial Defence had weapons, but it was never organised in a formation. It was to defend the houses, the people were afraid. It was a self-organisation of all the peoples,” said the witness.

Responding to the questions by lawyer Vasvija Vidovic whether he took part in the arming of the Serb people, the witness said that the weapons came from the army barracks, but he did not know who was sending it.

On the first day of testifying, Pandurevic said that he had been brought to Silos in May 1992, but the trial was interrupted because the witness had high blood pressure.

The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina charged Mustafa Djelilovic, Fadil Covic, Mirsad Sabic, Nezir Kazic, Becir, Hujic, Halida Covic, Serif Mesanovic and Nermin Kalember with crimes committed in the Silos camp, the Krupa barracks and the 9th May primary school.

According to the indictment, Djelilovic was the president of the local assembly, crisis headquarters and the war presidency in the municipality of Hadzici, while others were members of the army and police authorities, and Kalember a guard in Silos.

Pandurevic said he was an activist of the Serb Democratic Party. Responding to the question on whether the party made decisions which were carried out in the field, the witness said that he did not deal in politics, but that he had to take a side.
“We defended our hearths, our homes. We had no pretensions whatsoever,” explained the witness.

Pandurevic said that the goal of the Serb people was to remain in a unified country. “All the Serbs were for Yugoslavia,” he added.

Since the witness had high blood pressure at this hearing as well, the Trial Chamber postponed the session for January 9 next year.