Witness Says He Was with Jovanovics During Medosevici Village Attack

The state prosecution has charged Marjan, Milosav and Slavko Jovanovic with killing five Bosniak civilians in the village of Medosevici in June 1992. According to the indictment, they killed two civilians with firearms and another civilian with a blow to the chest. The defendants then allegedly killed children in the village by locking them inside a house, which they set on fire.

Marjan, Milosav, Slavko and Stevo Jovanovic, another defendant, have also been charged with killing an 86 year old woman in the village of Buckovici on June 4, 1992. They allegedly then set a house on fire.

The indictment alleges that the defendants were members of the Third Podrinjska Light Infantry Brigade of the Bosnian Serb Army.

Testifying at today’s hearing, defense witness Milan Cevriz said he was playing cards with the defendants in a hovel on the frontline when they saw fire coming from the village of Medosevici. He said they didn’t know what was burning in the village. He said they parted and left the hovel immediately. When he returned home on leave a few days later, he found out that Ahmet Medosevic’s house had been set on fire.

“Marjan, Slavko and Milosav were in the hovel with me. I heard about the crime in Medosevici only after the Jovanovics’ arrest. I didn’t know what happened. It was only then that I found out that somebody killed those people,” Cevriz said.

Responding to a question from the defense, Cevriz said paramilitary formations were present in the Cajnice area during the summer of 1992. He said their members burned and pillaged villages.

“There were the ‘Beli Orlovi,’[White Eagles] the ‘Crni Gavranovi,’ [Black Ravens] the ‘Plavi Orlovi’ [Blue Eagles]…They were dressed in camouflage uniforms. Their faces were painted. They weren’t from Cajnice. There were many such groups from Serbia and Montenegro,” Cevriz said.

The trial chamber insisted that the Cevriz give a detailed explanation of what happened that evening when they saw fire coming from the village.

“You’re saying you were together, playing cards although a house was burning in the village in which the Jovanovics lived? How did you react? Did you do anything about it? Did anyone go to the village to check where the fire was coming from?” asked trial chamber member Minka Kreho. Cevriz was unable to give a clear answer.

Judge Kreho also asked Cevriz to list the names of all the people who were on the frontline with him. Cevriz had difficulties remembering their names, but afterwards named a few individuals.

Defense witness Cedo Jovanovic, a cousin of the defendants, said he found it strange that the Jovanovics were accused of this crime.

“We’re like brothers. We have known each other our whole lives. Nobody has ever mentioned or said any bad words about them,” Jovanovic said.

Jovanovic also confirmed having heard that members of paramilitary formations were present in Cajnice at the time and that they were masked. He said no local residents from Cajnice were members of those units.

The trial will continue on March 4.