Witness Describes Vasic’s Role in Bratunac and Srebrenica Abuses

The Bosnian state prosecution has filed charges related to the Srebrenica genocide against Vasic, Danilo Zoljic, Radomir Pantic, Miodrag Josipovic, and Branimir Tesic.Vasic, Zoljic and Pantic have been charged with assisting in the forcible resettlement of the local population of Srebrenica, separating men from their families, as well as capturing and executing men and boys in the territory of Bratunac, Srebrenica and Zvornik.Josipovic and Tesic have been charged with participating in the forcible resettlement of the civilian population from Potocari on July 12 and 13, 1995, separating men from their families, as well as transporting and detaining more than 1000 Bosniak men and boys in Bratunac. It is alleged that they were killed later on. According to the charges, at the time Vasic was the commander of the Zvornik police headquarters, Josipovic was the chief of the public safety station and Tesic was the deputy commander of the police station in Bratunac. Zoljic was the commander of special forces of the public safety center in Zvornik and Pantic was the commander of the First Company of the Special Units of Zvornik’s public safety center. Krsto Jaksic, the former chief of material and financial affairs with the public safety center in Zvornik, testified at today’s hearing. Jaksic confirmed that Dragomir Vasic was the chief of the public safety center and was present in Bratunac and Srebrenica, along with members of the First Company.Jaksic said the public safety center consisted of five companies and ten police stations, and said that at the time the army took command responsibilities from the police.“The First Company was comprised of policemen from all of the stations. I know that younger policemen were members of the First Company,” Jaksic said.Describing his recollections related to the incidents which occurred in Srebrenica, Jaksic said three policemen were wounded and one was killed.“I know they guarded the trunk road between Konjevic Polje and Bratunac. They said they were wounded at that location. They were wounded by Muslim soldiers from Srebrenica,” Jakisc said.A audio recording of a statement Jaksic gave during the investigation in 2007 was played in the courtroom. The recording indicated that Jaksic had said that prior to deploying the First Company to the field, Vasic chaired a meeting and said they would guard the road between Konjevic Polje and Bratunac, as well as the road between Konjevic Polje and Kasaba.Jaksic said he received information on the deployment when the police officers were wounded, and said statements he made during the investigation in 2007 were his assumptions. When asked whether he knew that Bosniaks came from Srebrenica in large groups, Jaksic said buses filled with them passed by.“I heard rumours that they were going towards Pilica, Bijeljina and Kladanj and that the evacuation of the population was taking place,” Jaksic said, who added that he believed they were going to be exchanged. The trial will continue on July 2.