Massacre of Civilians in Kotor-Varos

Testifying during the presentation of evidence in rebuttal to the Defence’s evidence at the trial for crimes in Kotor-Varos, a State Prosecution witness says that “a massacre against civilians”, not an attack of the Serb army, happened in Serdari village.

Witness Slobodan Zupljanin, former member of the Second Infantry Battalion with the 122nd Brigade of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, told the Court that his unit was deployed to the area in order to guard the road from Teslic to Kotor-Varos and Banja Luka, and disarm the local population.

He said that local residents from surrounding villages were invited to hand their weapons over and express loyalty to Serb authorities, which guaranteed their safety. According to the witness’ statement, seven Bosniak villages and four Croatian ones expressed loyalty.

“Not everyone responded to the invitation to hand over their weapons in the first half of June 1992, so the period was punctuated with incidents,” the witness said.

Zupljanin said that an idea to divide Kotor-Varos to the left and right side existed in the beginning, but the idea was not realistic, because mixed villages existed in the entire area.

“The area to the left from River Vrbanja was supposed to be the Muslim-Croatian part, while the Serb civilian authorities were supposed to cover the right side of the river,” he explained.

Zupljanin told the Court that “a horrible crime” happened on June 11, 1992, when a Serb shepherd was killed. He said that “Muslims first wounded and then slaughtered him.”

“On that day Serb authorities took over Kotor-Varos,” Zupljanin said.

The State Prosecution charges Fikret Planincic, Rasim Lisancic, Sead Menzil and Mirsad Vatrac, former members of the Territorial Defence, with having attacked Serdari village on September 17, 1992, when 16 civilians were killed.

Witness Zupljanin said that he heard about the happenings in Serdari village on September 17, 1992 on that same morning, adding that no military targets that could have caused the attack existed in the village.

“Old people and children lived in the village. A member of our company was there as well, because he was granted home leave after he got married,” the witness said.

The witness said that the massacre of old people and children was committed in Serdari village, adding that it was not true that it was an attack against Serb forces.

The Defence is due to examine the witness at the next hearing scheduled for June 11.