Taken to Woods instead of Being Detained

Witness Dusko Marceta said that his colleague military policeman Zoran Sevo informed him that an order was received to arrest two Bosniaks due to weapon possession and “extremism”.

“We headed towards the village. Zoran told me to stop in front of Slavko Bilbija’s shop. He went behind the house in order to speak to Slavko about something. Nedjeljko Mrdja then joined us. I was told that he would lead us to Ismet and Besir Besirevic’s houses,” Marceta recalled.  

As he said, Sevo went to collect the Besirevics. When they moved towards Lipik, Slavko Bilbija’s minivan appeared.

“I was told to follow the vehicle. When we arrived to Drago Kolundzija’s house, where Bilbija was waiting for us, we took them out. I asked what we were doing there. Zoran responded by threatening me and telling me not to ask anything. He said that, if I told anybody about it, he would kill my family. He and Slavko walked towards the woods, taking two civilians with them. I turned around and moved in another direction, towards the Command,” Marceta said.

He said that, ten days later he asked to be deployed somewhere else due to that unpleasant event.    

The Bihac Cantonal Prosecution charges Slavko Bilbija, former member of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, who was allegedly accompanied by another person, with having killed Becir and Ismer Besirevic in Bjeline village, Donji Lipnik, Sanski Most municipality on July 10, 1992. The Prosecution alleged that they then dumped their bodies into a pit.

Witness Nedjeljko Mrdja, who was policeman in 1992, told the Court that he went to Bilbija’s shop and that Bilbija told him to join the patrol, which was sent to confiscate weapons from “Bosniak extremists”.

“That was the first time I saw Zoran Sevo, who knew where those houses were. I expected that my fellow civil policemen, and not military policemen, would be there, but I accompanied them anyway. On our way back after having arrested those persons, I said I wanted to get out of the car, but Sevo told me not to ask many questions and that there was enough time,” Mrdja recalled.  

He said that, when they arrived to Drago Kolundzija’s house, Sevo told him that he could get out.

“He and Slavko Bilbija, who was waiting for us in a minivan, walked towards the woods. Dusko got into the car and left. About a minute later I left the place and walked in a different direction. After having walked for about 20 metres, I heard two bursts of fire. Only later I heard that those two men were killed, but Sevo threatened me, telling me not to speak about that event or both my family and I would be killed,” Mrdja said.  

Testifying at this hearing, witnesses Nedzad Besirevic and Mesud Kuburic said that they saw two uniformed persons taking Besir and Ismet out of their houses.  

The trial is due to continue on June 10.