Memories Fading away

Bojo Ivanovic told the Court that he heard that “Srebrenica fell” in the summer of 1995. He said that he heard later that “some people were captured”.

When asked by Prosecutor Predrag Tomic if he knew what happened in Petkovci and on a dam in Djulici village, the witness said that he heard about “some murders”.

“I heard that some murders happened and that some people were captured. I heard that while I was on the frontline,” Ivanovic said.

When asked what people were saying about the happenings on the dam at that time, the witness said that he could not remember it well.

“I cannot tell you. It has already faded away,” he said.

Ivanovic testified at the trial of Ostoja Stanisic and Marko Milosevic, who are charged with having participated in crimes on the dam in Petkovci, Zvornik municipality, where about 1,000 Bosniak men and boys from Srebrenica, who had been captured, were shot in July 1995.

According to the charges, Stanisic was Commander of the Sixth Battalion with the Zvornik Brigade of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, while Milosevic was his Deputy.

Witness Ivanovic said that he was a member of a company that was part of the VRS Sixth Battalion, which was commanded by indictee Stanisic, in 1995.

“Maja was his Deputy, but I would not be able to recognise him,” the witness said.

The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina dedicated the most part of his the hearing to examining the witness about the happenings in Orahovac in 1995. Ivanovic said that he once saw people standing next to a trench. He said that, at that moment he realised that they were captives and that “the shooting” was underway.

“Both those men and soldiers were turned away from me. I was afraid. (…) I did not attend any murders.
They forced me to leave the place,” he said, adding that his house was located in the vicinity of Orahovac.

The Defence of the indictees objected due to the fact that the witness spoke about the happenings in Orahovac, considering the fact that those events were not covered by the indictment. Prosecutor Tomic said that he had a reason for asking those questions.

Ivanovic said that he once went to fetch some water, when he came across a group of wounded people, who, as he realised, were captives.

“I also saw some people, who had been killed, at another location. I saw many corpses,” he said.

The trial is due to continue on October 9.