Trbic Doesnt Remember Srebrenica Killing
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Defendants Stanisic and Milosevic, both former members of the Army of Republika Srpska, are charged with killing 1000 Srebrenica residents in a dam near the village of Petkovci in July 1995. According to the charges, Stanisic was Commander of the Sixth Battalion of the Zvornicka Brigade, while Milosevic was his Deputy.
Trbic, who was accompanied by a legal counselor during todays hearing, responded to most prosecution questions by saying that he couldnt remember.
Trbic claimed that he was not present at any location where mass executions of Srebrenica residents took place in July 1995.
Trbic said he didnt remember where he was in July 1995 or who his superiors were. When asked by prosecutor Predrag Tomic whether he couldnt remember or didnt want to answer, Trbic said that he did not remember.
Trbic remembered having been a security officer with the Zvornicka Brigade of the Republika Srpska Army. As far as defendants Ostoja Stanisic and Marko Milosevic are concerned, he said that he used to see them in passing at the brigade command.
The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina had previously found Trbic guilty of participating in a joint criminal enterprise and operations aimed at capturing, detaining and executing Srebrenica residents, as well as hiding their bodies, between July 10-November 30, 1995.
Trbic could not remember having been sentenced for the killings that took place in Petkovici.
Prosecutor Tomic said the verdict indicated that Trbic organized the transport of the Srebrenica residents from a school building in Petkovci to a nearby dam, where the execution took place. Trbic said that he has never been in Petkovci and that he does not know where the dam is.
Under a second instance verdict, Trbic was sentenced to a 30 year prison sentence. The Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina reviewed the verdict due to a wrong application of law. Upon appeal, Trbic was sentenced to 20 years in prison according to provisions of the Criminal Code of the former Yugoslavia.
The presentation of the prosecutions evidence ended with Trbic’s testimony.
The defense will present its evidence on March 4.
