Protected Witness Describes Seeing Bodies in Zecovi and Gradina

26. February 2016.00:00
A protected state prosecution witness testifying at the trial of fourteen former members of Bosnian Serb forces said he remembered seeing bodies in Zecovi and Prijedor, near Gradina.

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Defendants Dusan Milunic, Radomir Stojnic, Radovan Cetic, Dusko Zoric, Zoran Stojnic, Zeljko Grbic, Ilija Zoric, Zoran Milunic, Bosko Grujicic, Ljubisa Cetic, Rade Grujcic, Uros Grujcic, Zdravko Antonic and Rajko Gnjatovic have been charged with committing acts of murders, torture, and sexual violence against the local residents of the village of Zecovi. They have also been charged with the destruction and confiscation of their property.

According to the charges, Milunic was the commander of the Rasavacka Company with the 6th Battalion of the 43rd Brigade of the Bosnian Serb Army, Radomir Stojnic was the commander of the reserve police station in Rasavci, while Radovan Cetic was the president of the Serbian Democratic Party and crisis committee for the village of Rasavci. The other defendants were members of the Rasavacka Company, police and other formations.
 
A protected witness known as Z-14 testified from another room with a distorted voice. Z-14 said that before the raid on Zecovi in 1992, a meeting took place in a local government office in  nearby Rasavci between Dusko Milunic and Radovan Stojnic, the commander of the police.
 
After the meeting, Z-14 said, an order was issued to look for ammunition, to not touch civilians, and to collect all men near a local bar. Z-14 said that Izet and Ismet Bacic were specifically mentioned as troublemakers.
 
On the day of the raid, Z-14 said that Dusan Milunic, Radomir Stojnic and other commanders gathered troops near Hujica Hill.
 
“They told us where to go,” Z-14. He added that everyone went in groups of five to six.
 
Moving through Zecovi with his group, Z-14 said he heard shots and saw bodies. He said he saw a dozen women and children near a mosque and a minor abusing them, telling them to eat grass. Z-14 said his group scared the boy away.
 
Z-14 said they entered houses but found no weapons. The men were taken to the local bar. Z-14 said he saw a dozen bodies near a butcher shop.
 
“I saw military men. I knew some: Radovan Grbic, Zeljko Grbic, Zoric Dusko and Ilija, and I think Antonic Zdravko,” Z-14 said.
 
Z-14 said he went on and heard gunfire near a bridge. He said he heard that the military forced people to jump off it.
 
A week after the raid, Z-14 said that he, Radovan Grbic, Stevo Radulovic and five or six soldiers went to Gradina. He said he was told in Gradina’s Crisis Center that there were bodies in a village.
 
“Dusan Milunic was there and told Radovan Grbic said he should clean what he shat,” Z-14 said.
 
Z-14  went to Gradina where he saw the bodies of women and children and “probably men.” He said that people were picking up bodies and putting them in bags. He said he felt sick.
 
“I heard our idiots did it. No one mentioned names since they all knew who our idiots were,” Z-14 said.

Z-14 will be cross examined on March 4.

Lamija Grebo


This post is also available in: Bosnian