Adamovic and Lukic: Activities on Paper Only

Slobodan Jurisic, former Secretary of the National Defence, ND, Secretariat in Kljuc municipality, told the Trial Chamber that Bosko Lukic was appointed Commander of the Territorial Defence, TD, Headquarters in late 1991, but he “did not have the authority to conduct any actions”.

“The TD Headquarters dealt with logistical issues. There was nothing else it could do. I consider the Headquarters’ Commander did not have effective military authority in the time of peace and its authority totally disappeared with the arrival of the Army in those chaotic times, as the Army wanted to be dominant in the field,” Jurisic said.

The witness explained that the 30th Division of the Yugoslav National Army, JNA, initially had military authority in Kljuc. He added that, as of mid May 1992, when the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, was established, the VRS 17th Light Infantry Brigade took over.

The State Prosecution charges Bosko Lukic and Marko Adamovic, former members of Kljuc Town Defence Command, with having organised a group of people and abetted their commission of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Kljuc municipality.

The indictment alleges that Lukic and Adamovic, as members of the Serbian Democratic Party, SDS, participated, in collaboration with military and civil authorities in Kljuc municipality, in a joint criminal enterprise and the murders, arrests and other crimes committed against the non-Serb population.

Witness Jurisic recalled the ND Secretariat in Kljuc municipality having received, in April 1992, an order from the Banja Luka Military District Command to “mobilise a TD unit recruiting Serbs only”.

“We carried out their order and formed one unit, which was deployed to Sitnica on May 1. The unit was commanded by Branko Ribic.

“I know that already on May 14, 1992, the Republic Assembly passed a decision to merge the TD units with the VRS, leaving the TD with a few members who were tasked with guarding certain locations in the town, like the municipal or post office buildings,” the witness explained.

Jurisic added that at around the same time the JNA 30th Division issued an order for the establishment of the Kljuc Town Defence Command, but the witness said it “conducted activities on paper only”.

“I did not notice that they could make any decisions. They did not make decisions, because the Command of the JNA’s 30th Division actually made all decisions. The Town Defence Command did not have any military forces to command them,” Jurisic said.

Jurisic said that the conflict between Muslims and Serbs in Kljuc municipality broke out in late May 1992. The witness said he saw members of the Public Safety Station in Kljuc arresting non-Serbs, but the TD Headquarters did not participate in those actions.

The trial is due to continue on November 15.