Witnesses Describe Attack on Civilian Convoy in Kukavice

Muhamed Sisic, Emir Drakovac, Aziz Susa and Tarik Sisic are on trial for an attack against a convoy of civilians in Kukavice, near Rogatica on August 27, 1992.

Muhamed Sisic was the commander of the Commando Squad of the Kukavicka Company of the Bosnian Army, while the other defendants were members of that unit.

Drakovac has also been charged with acts of murder and torture, including the mutilation of a civilian and prisoner of war with an ax in the Foca area in late 1992.

Dragoslav Gluhovic, a former military police officer with the Gorazdanka Brigade of the Bosnian Serb Army, testified at today’s hearing. He said he supervised the evacuation of civilians in Jabucko Sedlo in the municipality of Gorazde on August 27, 1992. The civilians were travelling by convoy out of Gorazde.

“Bosnian Serb Army soldiers were on the bridge in Mesici. They told us the convoy had turned right, towards Kukavice. I asked why, knowing that we had received an order to travel via Varosiste,” Gluhovic said.

Gluhovic said he saw upturned vehicles and dead bodies on the road to Kukavice. He informed his command in Gorazde about the attack.

Responding to a question by the defense, Gluhovic said he didn’t remember if the convoy of civilians was marked in any way or if there had been an agreement between the two conflicting parties to let the convoy pass.

Rajko Cekic, a former staff member of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska also testified at this hearing. Cekic reproduced photographs depicting the consequences of the attack.

He said he couldn’t confirm that his images were original photographs. The defense teams of the four defendants objected to the lawfulness of the reproduced photographs, which the state prosecution included in the case file as material evidence.

Branko Radovic, a civilian who was wounded during the attack, also testified at today’s hearing. Radovic said he was in an ambulance travelling from Gorazde to Rogatica on August 26, 1992, when shooting in Kukavice began. He said he was wounded inside the vehicle.

The defense objected to the relevance of the Radovic’s testimony, because it did not refer to the date specified in the indictment.

The trial will continue on August 25.