A Witness under Risk

Internal medicine doctor Radojka Golijan was tasked with determining whether the witness was capable of testifying in the courtroom or at some other place.  

Following the presentation of the court expert’s opinion, the Trial Chamber accepted a State Prosecution’s proposal that Jovanovic’s statement given during the investigation be read at one of the future hearings.

The court expert said that, on the basis of an examination, she determined that the witness had an extremely high blood pressure and high pulse rate, adding that he had suffered three strokes already.

Jovanovic’s testimony at the trial against indictees Ostoja Stanisic and Marko Milosevic was interrupted nearly three months ago because it was not possible to examine him adequately.  

Stanisic and Milosevic are on trial for murders committed on a dam, near Petkovci, Zvornik municipality, where about 1,000 Srebrenica residents, who had been captured before, were shot in mid-July 1995.

The indictment alleges that Stanisic was Commander of the Sixth Battalion with the Zvornik Brigade of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, while Milosevic was his Deputy.  

The trial is due to continue on July 16.