Bosniak Commander’s Trial Told of Pupil’s Death in Shelling
This post is also available in: Bosnian
Prosecution witness Sladoje said it happened on a Saturday, when two eighth grade classes went to school to catch up on some missed classes. According to the witness, the first shell landed around 200 meters away from the school, so everybody retreated to the corridor.
He said that when they assessed that there would be no more shelling, they decided to send the students back home in groups of two or three.
“Despite our warnings, some of the schoolchildren gathered in front of that residential building. My son was there too. They heard a shell being fired, so they had a few seconds to hide. Those who went towards a building entrance to the left were not hit. As for those who went to the right, Stanislava Koprivica got killed and five children were injured,” Sladoje testified.
He said that a third shell landed near Kalovnik’s health centre, and he found a schoolgirl covered with blood there, along with other pupils.
“I remember their clothes were torn, they were covered with dust… their faces seemed lost and scared. At that moment I learned that Stanislava had been killed on the spot,” Sladoje said.
The witness said that in the period from April to June 1995, there was shelling from the west, so classes were interrupted.
He also said that sometimes the classes were held in corridors, because classrooms faced west and sometimes pieces of shrapnel would fly in.
Ramiz Drekovic is accused of ordering artillery units of the Bosnian Army’s Fourth Corps to carry out non-selective attacks on Serb civilians in the village of Kalinovik in the Konjic municipality between May 21 and June 7, 1995.
According to the charges, Fourth Corps artillery units conducted three attacks, firing missiles of “great destructive power”.
It is further alleged that in an attack on June 3, 1995, several projectiles fell in the vicinity of a school building, killing a 15-year-old schoolgirl and wounding four other pupils.
In the two other attacks, a four-year-old boy and another civilian were injured.
Drekovic pleaded not guilty.
Responding to the defence’s questions, Sladoje said that the police did not use a part of the school building.
He said there was a hotel was around 100 metres away from the school, but it was not known to him that the local war leadership and command were situated in it.
He also said he did not know that the gymnasium which was right next to the elementary school was used by the army.
The trial will continue on April 23.
