Witnesses Describe Orasac Attack at Stanarevic Trial

The state prosecution has charged Stanarevic, a former military policeman with the 15th Bihacka Brigade of the Bosnian Serb Army, with participating in the murder of 11 prisoners from a facility in Ripac, in the Bihac area. The killings allegedly took place between June 24 and the first half of July 1992 at the Bezdan Pit.

According to the indictment, Stanarevic and other members of the Bosnian Serb Army drove the prisoners to the pit. The prosecution alleges that Stanarevic participated in the killings and dumped the bodies into the pit.

State prosecution witness Asima Aluk testified at today’s hearing. She said she fled the village of Orasac in the municipality of Bihac with her children and husband. She said the left the night before Eid and travelled towards the village of Radolje.

“A neighbour came to our place and told us to run away…We heard bullets being shot around us while we were running. I don’t know where the shooting came from…All the residents of Orasac were running away,” Aluk said.

Aluk said they spent the night in Radolje. The next day soldiers came to Radolje and ordered all the men in the village to strip down to the waist and surrender. They then returned to Orasac.

“We returned to Orasac, to the school building. Soldiers brought us there. The school building was full of people. They separated the men from the women. A day later they released me, my husband and three children, while three of my sons remained in detention. I haven’t seen them since…They waved to me from the window,” Aluk said.

Aluk said she heard her sons were taken to the Ripac detention camp. She said their bodies were found in the Bezdan Pit after the war.

State prosecution witness Muharem Hadzic also testified at today’s hearing. Hadzic said Orasac was attacked on June 11, 1992. He said he heard that the Kninski Corps of the Yugoslav National Army participated in the attack.

“I saw the first grenade fall on one of the houses at around 6am…The school building was full of people, men, women, children. Grenades began falling on the school building as well. I don’t know who fired them…People began running away,” Hadzic said.

Hadzic said he tried to help a woman and her four year old daughter during the attack, but they were killed by a grenade. He was wounded.

The trial will continue on September 14.