Stanisic Served on the Frontline, Defense Witness Says

“I was on the frontline on St. Peter’s Day in July 1995. We were informed that Srebrenica residents were coming from the neighbouring municipality, so we had to increase the level of our combat readiness…I knew nothing about the captives having been brought over. Later on, in August, I heard that some men had been brought in and were accommodated in the new school building in Petkovci,” said the witness, Lazar Gotovac, a former member of the Bosnian Serb Army.

Gotovac, whose battalion was situated on the premises of another school building in Petkovci, said he had never heard about an invitation or an order to guard those captives.

“Ostoja Stanisic was our commander…I used to see him on the frontline during times of increased combat readiness,” Gotovac said. He said he did notice that Stanisic expressed animosity towards believers of other religions.

Ostoja Stanisic and Marko Milosevic are on trial for the murder of approximately 1000 captives from Srebrenica on a dam near Petkovci in mid July 1995. According to the charges, the captives were detained in Petkovci prior to being taken to the dam.

When asked if he knew that the captives were killed on a dam in Petkovci, Gotovac said he heard about the killing, but only later on.

Witness Radenko Petrovic was the commander of the Sixth Battalion of the Zvornicka Brigade with the Bosnian Serb Army, and also testified at the hearing. Petrovic said he was with the battalion until he was wounded, and said Stanisic was his deputy.

Petrovic said the battalion’s command center was located in an old school building, and said the school’s basement was used for storing weapons and ammunition.

When asked if he knew that members of the battalion were used for guarding captives from Srebrenica, Petrovic said he didn’t.

“I didn’t have such information, no official information…We knew that combat activities were taking place in the region of Srebrenica and that some other units were present as well, but that was unofficial information,” Petrovic said.

The trial will continue on April 29.