Witness at Popovic Trial Describes Abduction of Civilians from Rodica Brdo

Jovan Popovic has been charged with abducting civilians in Rodica Brdo in the Visegrad area in mid-June 1992 and taking them to a police station. Popovic allegedly acted in collaboration with a group of soldiers led by Milan Lukic, a Bosnian Serb paramilitary leader sentenced to life imprisonment by the Hague Tribunal. The civilians have remained missing since.

State prosecution witness Jusuf Korac testified at today’s hearing. Korac said he remembered when the Bosnian Serb Army entered the village of Rodica Brdo and began looking for men. He said he hid in the attic of the house he shared with his wife and children.

He said he was peeking between roof tiles and saw a young man approach the house of his step brother Resad Mucovski, and then walk away. He said the young man eventually returned to the house and took his step brother away.

“He returned from the street and took my brother towards the town,” Korac said. He said his brother in law Fadil Zukic was also abducted on the same day.

He said he heard his mother say, “Jovan, don’t take my son away. He hasn’t done anything.”

Korac said after the soldiers left the village, he came down from the attack and spoke to his mother about what had just happened. He said she told him she saw Jovan Popovic walking behind his brother and brother-in-law. Korac said he didn’t see Popovic on that day.

“My mother knew everything that happened best. She died three years ago,” he said.

Korac said his mother spoke to Popovic on that day. He said his mother asked Popovic about her son. He said Popovic told her “They were killed. Not all of them made it to the town.” Korac said this information appeared to be incorrect, because his brother and brother in law were brought to the police station in Visegrad.

“They were kept on the premises of the Internal Affairs Service for a few days and then they disappeared,” Korac said.

The trial will continue on October 7.