Witness Refuses to Answer Questions

Milenko Pepic said that he came to Bjelovac village, near Bratunac, in his capacity as a member of the Sekovici Second Special Police Squad, in mid-July 1995.

As he said, his Unit was then deployed towards Potocari and Kravica.

When asked by the Prosecution what members of his Squad did in the Potocari area, the witness listened to advice by his legal representative – attorney Rade Golic, and refused to answer.

Pepic said that he saw other military units in the Kravica area and that “there was shooting on the surrounding hills.”

Prosecutor Ibro Bulic asked the witness whether any members of the Muslim Army were captured and whether any shootings were committed, but the witness did not respond.

“I advise the witness not to respond to this question, because this is an incrimination of the Second Squad to which the witness belonged,” legal representative of the witness Golic said.

Pepic also refused to answer to questions on whether anybody mentioned the murders and what his unit did in order to guard the road.

At the beginning of the hearing Prosecutor Bulic said that an investigation against witness Pepic was underway.

Pepic said that he had known Goran Saric, former Commander of the Special Police Brigade, since 1993 or 1994. When asked by the Defence whether he saw Saric in June and July 1995, he said that he could not remember.

Saric is charged with having commanded police forces, which participated in the search, disarming and the forcible relocation of women, children and the elderly, as well as separation of men and boys, who were later executed in the Srebrenica area.

According to the charges, he ordered police members to guard the road between Bratunac and Konjevic Polje and capture the men, who were trying to leave the Srebrenica protected zone through the woods.

The trial is due to continue on January 26.