Gunshot in a Ditch
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Witness Ratko Varenika said that, in July 1995 his squad, which was part of the Special Brigade of Republika Srpska, RS, police, was deployed to the trunk road in order to stop Bosniaks, who were trying to flee from Srebrenica.
“At around 2 a.m. during the first night of the guarding I heard some sporadic shooting about 100 metres away from me. After that five or six men, who were trying to pass through a pipe underneath the road, were captured. Following the shooting, I heard cries from the ditch on the side of the road. As far as I can remember the cries could be heard for an hour or two after the exchange of fire,” Varenika said.
He said that his Squad Commander, whom he knew under the nickname Brko, went to the ditch in the morning hours.
“When daylight came, I saw our Squad Commander leaving the positions, crossing the road and going down into the ditch. After that I heard a gunshot. However, due to the trees and thicket I did not see that the man fired the bullet in the woods or killed anybody. I have never seen or heard that there was a corpse in the woods,” Varenika said.
The District Prosecution in Bijeljina charges Dejan Radojkovic, former Commander of the Third Squad with the Special Brigade of Republika Srpska, RS, police, with having opened a burst of fire, along with members of his Squad, while guarding the trunk road between Bratunac and Konjevic Polje, at several Bosniak men, who were trying to flee from Srebrenica in 1995.
The indictment alleges that, on that occasion one person was wounded. It is alleged that, on the following morning Radojkovic returned to that place and killed the wounded man by firing a bullet from his gun.
During the cross-examination the witness was asked if he could recognise indictee Radojkovic as the person, whom he knew under the nickname Brko.
“My Squad consisted of people, most of whom were arrested in Serbia and deported. I was its member for two or three months only. I do not know the name of the Squad Commander…The man, who is in the courtroom now, looks like him, but I really cannot confirm whether it is the same person,” the witness said, adding that he did not remember the people with whom he was in Konjevic Polje in 1995 very well.
The trial is due to continue on January 17 next year, when the District Prosecution and Defence will present their closing statements.
