Witness at Saric Trial Describes Serb Military Operations During Srebrenica Genocide

Saric has been charged with commanding police forces which participated in the search, disarmament and forcible resettlement of women, children and the elderly, as well as separating men and boys who were executed in the Srebrenica area later on.

The prosecution alleges that Saric issued an order to police forces to guard the road between Bratunac and Konjevic Polje and capture men who were trying to leave the protected zone of Srebrenica through the woods.

Witness Stjepan Pepic said there were about eight squads in the Special Police Brigade, and that he was the commander of the squad based in Doboj.

Pepic said the communication between the squads and the Brigade Command was conducted through communication centers and that the infrastructure of public safety centers were used for that purpose.

“I would go to the public safety center to get letters. Letters arrived at the communication centers,” Pepic said. He said that when he was on the field, he would go to locations managed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs for his communication needs.

Pepic said a part of his squad was on a field mission in Trnovo in July 1995, while the other part stayed behind in Doboj.

He said he didn’t remember when he left Trnovo, and he said it was at that time that he heard about events unfolding in Srebrenica.

“We received a notice that we could leave Trnovo. Upon arrival in Pale I was informed that I should go to Zvornik, report to the public safety center and wait there,” Pepic said.

Pepic said a duty officer at the public safety center in Zvornik told him that certain units might invade Zvornik. He said they were Bosnian Army units which had left Srebrenica, and that a portion of his squad was in a state of combat readiness as a result.

“I left Zvornik before dark on the following day. While I was in Zvornik, I went to the public safety center several times. I noticed there was no reason for our engagement, as there were no indications of possible danger,” Pepic said.

He said he found out later on that the members of his squad who had stayed behind in Doboj were in Zvornik at the time, but he returned before them.

“I heard various rumours, saying that Srebrenica was invaded. Rumours said there were murders, there were many casualties, that our units had achieved some victories. I heard those rumours, but I didn’t believe them. Later on I heard that unfortunately many of those things had happened,” Pepic said.

In response to a question by the defense, Pepic said he had no communication with Saric during that time.

When asked by judge Minka Kreho who would have sent members of his squad to the field mission in Trnovo, Pepic said that the brigade commander or the command would have been responsible for deploying them to such field missions.

The trial will continue on May 25.