Djukic: The youngest victim of Kapija massacre

At the trial of Novak Djukic, the father of the youngest victim of the massacre committed at Kapija in Tuzla on May 25, 1995, testified before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Dino Kalesic recalled how he celebrated his wedding anniversary, together with his friends and family, on May 25, 1995, when a missile hit Kapija. On that day his two and a half years old son Sandro was killed.

The State Prosecution considers Djukic, former commander of Ozren Tactical Group with the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, responsible for the shelling of Tuzla on that day, when 72 people were killed and more than 200 were wounded.

“On that day every street and every coffee shop were full of young people. We sat there watching the Tuzla youth walking. A missile then fell, cutting down the happiness, spree, youth and beauty. The next moment everything became dark. They were all either killed or wounded. There was no music or light any more. Darkness was everywhere, as well as a gruesome tingling,” Kalesic said.

Shortly after the grenade hit the ground, Kalesic grabbed his son and fled to a building, where he noticed that Sandro was bleeding, as “a shrapnel hit him in the heart.”

“We tried to find someone to drive us to the hospital. I ran towards my car, stepping on other people’s arms, body parts and splashes of blood. I asked an acquaintance of mine to drive us to the hospital. Sandro was alive while we were driving in the car. He passed in my arms just before I entered the hospital. When we came in, he stopped breathing. Doctors could not reanimate him. Then I fell over him and they noticed that I was wounded as well,” Kalesic recalled.

The Prosecution then examined witness Bahrudin Hadziefendic, who was wounded at Kapija.

“I can still remember the explosion. All of a sudden, there was total silence at Kapija. Total stillness. I was transported to a hospital, where the situation was chaotic. I had injuries on my legs, shoulder and chest. The treatment lasted for about three months,” Bahrudin Hadziefendic said, adding that he was 17 at the time.

The trial of Novak Djukic is due to continue on August 19, when four new Prosecution witnesses will be examined.