Commander’s Order Refused

Witness Radojica Jovicic said that he was a member of the Sixth Battalion with the Zvornik Brigade of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, which was commanded by Stanisic. Just before dark on July 14, 1995 and after having returned to the Battalion Command in Petkovci from nearby military positions, where he had set mines together with his colleagues, the witness said that they saw their Commander, who told them that they should join the background forces in guarding the school building. He explained that he found out that the captives had been brought while he was on the military positions. Prior to entering Stanisic’s office in the Battalion Command, which was situated in the old school building, Jovicic said that he told his colleagues that he would not keep watch, because he had been working the whole day. After that he went back home and rested for the next few days, although he was aware of the possible consequences. State Prosecutor Predrag Tomic said that the statement of the witness given during the investigation was different from his testimony, adding that, in the mentioned statement, he said that they were ordered to guard the school building, where the captives were held. The witness responded by saying that Stanisic did not say what school building it was and whether it was the old school, where the Command was, or the new one, where the captives from Srebrenica were held. “I guessed which one of the two building he meant. That is why I said that,” the witness explained.
The witness said that a colleague with whom he used to set minefields during the war told him recently that they had actually guarded the old school building. Stanisic and Marko Milosevic, Deputy Commander of the Sixth Battalion, are charged with genocide and participation in crimes committed on a dam near Petkovci, where about 1,000 captives from Srebrenica, who had previously been held in the new school building, were shot. As he continued testifying, Jovicic said that, upon his return to the Battalion Command, he met Stanisic, who raised his voice at him and asked him where he had been. He said that he had been at home. The witness said that he was then ordered to go to the military positions and set mines. As he said, while he was on leave, he found out about the breakthrough of Srebrenica residents on July 16 and that indictee Milosevic was wounded on that occasion. Responding to the Defence’s questions, the witness said that he did not hear Milosevic issuing any orders related to captives, who were guarded by members of the Sixth Battalion. The trial is due to continue on May 7.