Djukic: Crime scene inspection one day after tragedy

The first three Prosecution witnesses testified at the trial of  Novak Djukic, charged with the shelling of Tuzla in May 1995. They spoke about the type of the shell which was fired at a part of Tuzla town called Kapija as well as about the role of the indictee in the Republika Srpska Army (VRS).

Nedzad Vejzagic, former chief of the Criminal and Technical Expertise Section with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that, on May 26, 1995 he went, together with an inspection team, from Sarajevo to Tuzla, where the “tragic event” had happened a day before.

“At that location we saw traces of an enormous tragedy. A lot of blood, many personal documents, pieces of clothes and bodies… It was a place where an enormous incident and massacre had happened,” Vejzagic said, adding that his team performed a crime scene investigation together with UNPROFOR members.

“On the basis of the metal pieces discovered at the scene, the experts determined that a 130 mm artillery cannon projectile had hit the location. It was determined that the projectile had been fired from the territory of Ozren,” the witness said.

The indictment alleges that Djukic, as commander of the VRS Ozren Tactical Group (TG), ordered the shelling of  Tuzla from a 130 mm M46 cannon on May 25, 1995. The shell, which hit the downtown area, killed 71 and wounded hundreds of people.

Witness Dragan Jovanovic, TG Ozren operational officer said Novak Djukic was the commander of the TG in 1995. He said that four Brigades were situated on Mount Ozren but there were also numerous “attached units” and that all of them could, upon request, use the 130 mm cannon.

“The TG Headquarters managed the use of those weapons. I know that some units sometimes asked to use those cannons on the frontlines as their purpose was to support the defence of the territory. I am not aware that they were used for shelling of settlements,” Jovanovic said, adding that he heard about the shelling of Tuzle a few days after the event. He stressed that he was “doubtful” that any cannon could have “such a big range” to be able to hit Tuzla.

The third Prosecution witness Dragan Vasiljevic was commander of the First Ozren Brigade in 1995. He told the Court that the TG did not have its own artillery as its purpose was to consolidate the activities of all units situated in that area.

“The 130 and 155mm cannons belonged to the First Krajina Corps Artillery Unit and they were under its command. Brigade commanders could submit requests, via the TG, for the use of those cannons. I do not know where the requests were forwarded from there – was it to the Doboj Operational Group or the Krajina Corps…,” Vasiljevic said. He also said that he heard about the Tuzla massacre later on.

The trial of Novak Djukic is due to continue on April 8, when four new Defence witnesses will be examined.