Witness Claims Deposition Made ‘Under Pressure’

The prosecution witness, Ilija Sipura, made the claim while trying to explain the differences between the statements he made made at the trial, and those during the investigation.

Fikret Planincic, Rasim Lisancic, Sead Menzil and Mirsad Vatrac, former members of the Territorial Defence, are charged with an attack on the village of Serdare in the municipality of Kotor-Varos on September 17, 1992, which killed 16 Serb civilians.

Sipura recalled that together with another four soldiers he had belonged to a group that participated in the attack on Serdari, aimed at seizing food and weapons from the area.

He said that the action failed and that two of the Muslim soldiers had perished.

“I don’t know who killed the [Serbian] civilians. No one planned the murders,” Sipura said, adding that he saw nothing in any case because his group – one of six involved in the assault – was late for the action.

At the hearing, Sipura said he could not remember the names of the leaders of any of the groups that participated in the attack.

However, whe prosecutor, Dragan Corlija, then read from his deposition, given during the investigation, when the witness said the leader of one group had been defendant Menzil, and the deputy leader of the other group, first defendant Planincic.

The witness said that he gave the deposition under pressure.

“They told me: ‘We can talk differently if you want…’ I thought they would tie me up and beat me,” the witness said.

Prosecutor Corlija dismissed these claims. Meanwhile the defence lawyers agreed that the witness had been coerced and frightened into giving false statements.

Sipura could not say whether any of the defendants participated in the attack on Serdari.

The next hearing is scheduled for August 27.