Koricanske stijene: Convoy That Cannot Be Forgotten

Erna Kadiric, who was 17 in 1992, recalled having joined the convoy travelling from Tukovi in Prijedor municipality to Travnik on August 21, 1992.

“They announced that it was the last convoy. Although I didn’t want to go, I joined it. The guy I liked at that time – Zeljko Stojnic, a member of the Interventions Squad, told me not to ask too many questions and said I better join the convoy and not take any valuables with me,” the witness said,

She added that, in addition to Stojnic, she was friends with Ljubo Cetic and other members of the Interventions Squad.

Stojnic was sentenced under a first instance verdict to 15 years in prison for crimes committed at Koricanske stijene, while Ljubisa Cetic was sentenced to 13 years.

Kadiric testified on Thursday at the trial of Sasa Zecevic, Radoslav Knezevic, Petar Civcic, Marinko Ljepoja and Branko Topola, who are charged with having escorted a convoy of more than 1,200 civilians from Prijedor to Travnik.

The indictees are charged with taking part in separating about 200 men from the rest of the convoy passengers and shooting them at Koricanske stijene.

The indictment alleges that Topola was a guard in Trnopolje detention camp and the other indictees were members of the Interventions Squad with the Public Safety Station in Prijedor.

The witness said that, of the indictees in this case, she only knew Branko Topola, as she was friends with his cousin. She said that Topola helped her once during the course of the war.

“I visited my uncle in Trnopolje detention camp. I used a fake identity card issued in a Serbian name. On one occasion I stayed in the camp a bit longer than planned and they did not want to let me out. He helped me and drove me home,” the witness recalled, adding that she did not see the indictee in the uniform worn by other members of the Interventions Squad.

She said he never stood out among the other members, who “carried rifles like bandits”.

Kadiric said that another reason she would never forget the Prijedor convoy was the fact that passengers in the truck in which she was riding were robbed several times.

“We had to put our valuables into a bag about ten times during the course of our travel. They threatened us by saying they would kill one of us. (…) When we arrived at our destination, we saw soldiers with cockades. Someone told me to go back to the truck and collect the garbage we had left behind,” the witness said.

The trial is due to continue on February 2, 2011, when the Prosecution will continue presenting evidence.

A.S.