Neighbours Leaving for Safety Reasons

As the trial for crimes in Visegrad continues, a Defence witness says that he and indictee Ljubomir Tasic accompanied their “Muslim neighbours to a square in Visegrad, at their request, for the sake of their safety.”

Witness Milija Sijakovic, former member of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, said that he and indictee Tasic, who was his commander, accompanied their Bosniak neighbours from Bosanska Jagodina village to Visegrad, adding that convoys drove them away from there.

“When the convoys left, we went back. We did not know where they were going. Some said that they would go to Sarajevo or Tuzla. Two or three days later we heard what happened,” Sijakovic said.

The witness said that he heard that the Red Cross organised those convoys.

“My neighbours came to my house and told me that they wanted to leave Visegrad. (…) They asked me to escort them to Visegrad. They went somewhere else from that town,” the witness said.

According to Sijakovic, it was a completely “normal gathering of people.” He said that relations between people were fair.

“Neighbours said goodbye to each others. Some people cried. I escorted them by car from Bosanska Jagodina village to Visegrad, because they asked me to do it for the sake of their safety,” the witness said, adding that there were no armed escorts in the buses, but he saw policemen and soldiers.

Ljubomir Tasic is on trial, along with Predrag Milisavljevic and Milos Pantelic, for having participated in the murders, forced resettlement of the population, detention, torture, disappearances and other inhumane acts committed in Visegrad.

According to the charges, Milisavljevic and Pantelic participated in the murder of several tens of Bosniak civilians near the Paklenik pit, where Milisavljevic allegedly initiated the shooting of the captives.

Stojanka Mijatovic, who used to work with the Red Cross during 1992, testified at this hearing as Defence witness. She said that it was not known to her that the Red Cross organised convoys, which transported Muslims from the surrounding villages away from Visegrad.

Mijatovic said that civilians were informed via radio that convoys would be organised. She said that she was tasked with giving a sheet of paper to people, who came to the Red Cross premises, which said that they were leaving the place voluntarily.

“I gave them previously prepared statements, which they then signed,” Mijatovic said.

Witness Radoje Tasic said that he worked on the Visegrad Radio during the course of 1992. He said that a notification, saying that a convoy would be organised for local residents, who wanted to leave the town, came from the Red Cross in April or May 1992.

“The notification said that the Red Cross would organise the convoy. Ljubomir Tasic’s name was not mentioned in any part of that notification,” witness Radoje Tasic said.

The trial is due to continue on October 8.