Klickovic et al: Ostojic a ‘Good Chieftain’

“Ostojic had been Assistant Commander for Legal, Morale and Religious Issues with the brigade in Kupres until he was appointed a commander in Bosanska Krupa. I think I saw him in Kupres on August 1 when he came to hand over his duties in our brigade, take his belongings and say goodbye to us,” Maric said.

He said Ostojic was “a good professional” and that he “fulfilled his tasks successfully”.

Ostojic, former commander of the 11th Krupa Light Infantry VRS Brigade, Gojko Klickovic and Mladen Drljaca are charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes against civilians and prisoners of war in the Bosanska Krupa area during 1992.

They are charged with persecution, deportation, torture, detention, murder and other crimes against the non-Serbian population in the area. The indictment alleges that detainees were held in a school building in Jasenica and the Petar Kocic school building in Krupa town where they were physically abused and interrogated. Some were exchanged and others were killed.

The prosecution alleges that a man called Joja Plavanjac killed a group of Bosniak male detainees in the school building in Krupa town between August 1 and 12.

Bosko Klasnja, who also testified for Ostojic’s defence, was the former chief of the engineering squad with the 11th Krupa Brigade. He said he found out about the murders committed in the school after the war and that Ostojic was “a good chieftain”.

“I knew there was some detention unit for Muslims in the school building, but I never went there. I used to see them doing the town cleaning. Our soldiers were also detained in the school building. I found out about the murders only after the war had ended. I heard that Joja Plavanjac killed those people,” Klasnja said.

The trial continues on August 31.