Lazarevic et al: Lawless times
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As indicated by Defence witness Vlado Delic, members of the Public Safety Station in Zvornik did not take part in the capture of Bosniaks and detention of those people in the offence court and “Novi izvor” buildings in 1992. According to him this was done by paramilitary groups, which “dominated” the town at the time.
“The paramilitary groups were dominant at the time of lawlessness. I think that the Serb population was scared of them, because they feared nothing and nobody. As far as I know the Zvornik police did not capture or detain anybody,” said Delic, former property crimes inspector with the Public Safety Station in Zvornik.
Sreten Lazarevic, Dragan Stojanovic, Mile Markovic and Slobodan Ostojic, former members of the reserve police forces with the Public Safety Station in Zvornik are charged with having participated in the detention and beating of civilians in the offence court and “Novi izvor” buildings in 1992 and 1993.
As stated by the witness, “in late June or early July 1992” special police members came from Banja Luka to Zvornik. They arrested “about 100 members of paramilitary groups,” which led to the “normalisation” of the situation in the town.
Delic said he learned about the detention of Bosniaks when Sreten Lazarevic told him that Sejfo Cirak, an old friend of his, was looking for him, but he said he did not know who told him that this man was detained in “Novi izvor”.
“Upon my arrival, a policeman brought Sejfo to see me. He told me that he needed some heart medication and he asked me to bring them to him. Sejfo then told me that members of a paramilitary group had captured him and brought him there,” Delic said.
Delic added that he did not know why the Bosniaks were detained in the “Novi izvor” building, but he could guess that this was because “of their ethnic affiliation.”
The witness said that he did not know who the manager of “Novi izvor” was, adding that, as far as he knew, Lazarevic and Markovic were “reserve policemen.”
The trial is due to continue on August 12, 2008.
