Stanisic and Milosevic Were on Frontline During Petkovci Killings, Witness Says

Ostoja Stanisic, the former commander of the Bosnian Serb Army’s Sixth Battalion of the Zvornicka Brigade, and Marko Milosevic, his deputy, are on trial for the mass killing of approximately 1000 Srebrenica civilians on a dam near Petkovci in mid-July 1995. According to the indictment, the prisoners were held in a new school building in Petkovci prior to being taken to the dam.

Jelenka Lazic, a former cook with the Sixth Battalion, testified at today’s hearing in Milosevic’s defense. Lazic confirmed that Stanisic and Milosevic were at the battalion command in Petkovci in mid-July 1995. She said after July 12, 1995, she would see the defendants at the command on occasion.

“They would come, ask what the situation was and return to the frontlines,” Lazic said.

Lazic said when Nikola Stevic’s son was buried on July 13, 1995, she saw Stanisic and Milosevic in Petkovci attending the funeral. She said they stayed in Petkovci for a short time, because they had to return to their combat positions.

“I see you remember everything very well. As far as I can see, in the statement you gave to the prosecution you couldn’t remember anything,” prosecutor Predrag Tomic said.

“I remembered everything they asked me. Nobody asked me about this,” Lazic said.

Prosecutor Tomic said in her previous statement, Lazic couldn’t even remember her brother’s name.

Tomic asked Lazic if she remembered that Branko Avramovic, a former member of the Third Battalion of the Zvornicka Brigade, had attended the funeral. Lazic said she remembered him, because he was a big and well-developed man.

“I walked you through the command. You didn’t know their names, but you know Branko,” Tomic said.

In testimony he gave at a previous hearing, Branko Avramovic said Jelenka Lazic told him the defendants were in Petkovci for a short period of time on July 13, 1995, before returning to the frontline.

Mila Lazarevic was the second witness to testify at today’s hearing. She used to work with Milosevic at the Elektrodistribucija company in Zvornik.

“Marko is the type of man you just have to like,” she said. She said Milosevic had helped displaced people return to Zvornik.

Lazarevic was asked how Milosevic’s coworkers reacted when he was arrested. She said it was a big shock. She said Milosevic had told her he hadn’t participated in the Petkovci killings and that the perpetrators were unknown soldiers.

The trial will continue on September 23.