State Prosecution Witness at Srebrenica Trial Responds to Testimony From Former VRS Soldiers

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.

State prosecution witness Mehmed Hasanovic was invited to testify in order to respond to statements made by defense witness Zinko Radovic, a former member of the Mixed Artillery Division of the Zvornicka Brigade, and Zeljko Jokic, a former member of the Sixth Battalion.

Zinko Radovic testified in Milosevic’s defense on August 26, 2015. Radovic said he served in the Trnovo area in June 1995, and was stationed there for more than one month. He said he had gone to Petkovci in order to attend a comrade’s funeral in mid-July 1995, but didn’t stay long. When asked whether the people in attendance discussed the captives that had been brought to Petkovci, Radovic said they hadn’t. He said they discussed combat taking place in the Trnovo area.

Testifying at today’s hearing, Mehmed Hasanovic said he was arrested and taken to a school building in Petkovci during the war, before being transferred to the “Standard” building in Karakaj.

“Vinko Radovic examined me personally. He asked me to write down a statement, indicating where I lived and whether there was an army there. After that he drew a cross on a cupboard and said, ‘Turn around and look at this cross.’ Then he hit me,” Hasanovic said, pointing to his back. He said Radovic hit him two more times before he lost consciousness.

Prosecutor Predrag Tomic asked Hasanovic about Zeljko Jokic, who also testified in Milosevic’s defense. On September 2, 2015, Jokic said Milosevic was the assistant commander for security with the Sixth Battalion in 1993 and 1994. Jokic said Milosevic told soldiers to approach him if they captured enemy soldiers and not to mistreat them. He said Milosevic treated a captured Bosnian Army soldier humanely.

Hasanovic said he knew Jokic because they attended the same school for a long time, before the war. When asked whether he could associate Jokic with the Petkovci captives, he said he couldn’t remember.

Hasanovic was asked whether he tried to contact Jokic. Hasanovic said he hadn’t.

The trial will continue on December 9.