Karadzic “Supported” Fight against Paramilitaries in Semberija

Andan described operations conducted by a special police unit led by him and Mico Davidovic, member of the then Federal Police of the former Yugoslavia, with the aim of destroying paramilitary formations, whose members committed crimes in those municipalities.

The unit tried to eliminate the “Red Berets” in Brcko, “Panthers” led by Ljubisa Savic-Mauzer in Bijeljina and “Yellow Wasps” led by the Vuckovic brothers in Zvornik, Andan said, adding that the unit managed to arrest many people despite the fact that it was “small in number and often threatened by force.”

Andan dissociated himself from grave crimes against Bosniaks and Croats in Luka detention camp in Brcko by saying that police did not have authority in that place. He said that he heard about the detention camp in Batkovic, near Bijeljina, when he tried to rescue a friend, who was detained in the camp “only because he was a Croat”.

Andan said that he and Davidovic formed a police station in Janja village, near Bijeljina in order to protect the remaining Bosniaks.

Andan sent official notes to authorities in Pale, informing them about all those happenings, so “the top political leaders would have an insight into the problems in Semberija”. He said that, according to the information he had, Karadzic supported his activities. In order to prove that, Karadzic presented Andan’s letter on which he wrote: “Continue introducing peace and lawfulness.”

Karadzic, former President of Republika Srpska, is charged with having persecuted Bosniaks and Croats from 20 municipalities throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, including Bijeljina, Zvornik and Brcko. Besides that, he is on trial for genocide in Srebrenica, terror against Sarajevo citizens and taking UNPROFOR members hostage.

During the cross-examination Prosecutor Hildegard Uertz-Retzlaff confronted the witness with an allegation that police dealt with robberies only, but not with numerous murders of Bosniaks and Croats in municipalities in Semberija. As an example, she mentioned that members of “Yellow Wasps” in Zvornik were not arrested for having committed murders and abuse of civilians in Celopek village, but for robberies.

Andan responded by saying that paramilitary soldiers “from Serbia fled to that country.” “The Bijeljina Prosecution released them after having arrested them, but they fled to Serbia…We sent many documents to Serbia. I think that Dusan Vuckovic was sentenced to imprisonment in Sabac…We requested that they be banned from returning,” Andan said.

When asked whether ethnic cleansing of non-Serb population happened in Bijeljina, the witness said: “Yes, people were resettled. I do not want to use the crude term ethnic cleaning.”

Responding to a Prosecutor’s suggestion that he and Davidovic were attacked for “protecting Muslims and arresting Serbs”, Andan said that “nobody from the top authorities told us not to do it.”

Karadzic is due to continue presenting his defence on Monday, July 8.