Ivanovic: Special Policeman with a Kerchief

Stupar said he did not remember seeing indictee Ivanovic during that period, and told the Court he did not witness the murders committed in Kravica..

“I know Zeljko Ivanovic. I remember those people, because they had some specific identification marks. Most of the time he had a kerchief on his head. His nickname was Arkan. He was a member of the Third Unit from Skelani,” Stupar said.

Zeljko Ivanovic, former member of the Second Special Police Squad, is charged with having participated in the capture of a large group of men and the shooting of more than 1,000 men in Kravica Agricultural Cooperative on July 13, 1995.

Witness Stupar was charged with participation in mass executions of captured Bosniaks, but he was acquitted of all charges under a verdict passed down by the Appellate Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Stupar said that until mid June 1995, he was Commander of the Second Special Police Squad with the Republika Srpska Army, which was situated in Sekovici, adding that the Skelani Unit was part of that Squad.

He said that he was on his way back from Serbia on July 13, as he was supposed to attend a meeting about his future engagement with another unit. While he was driving from Bratunac, he saw members of the Second Squad on Sandici Notch. He got out of the vehicle to talk to them. He saw a group of captives in a meadow.

“Those men were taken towards Kravica. The late Krsto Dragicevic came and asked Oficir to come with him because a neighbour of his was there. He and Oficir then left. About twenty minutes or half an hour later they said that someone should come because some people were wounded. Rather intense shooting could be heard during their absence,” Stupar said.

He explained that he went to Kravica in his car and picked up Oficir, who was wounded, and drove him to a clinic.

According to witness statements, Rade Cuturic, known as Oficir, was Commander or Deputy Commander of the Second Squad. He was killed in September 1995.

Stupar said that facing “such a situation”, he did not pay attention to what was happening in front of the warehouse, adding that Oficir told him that a detainee had taken Dragicevic’s gun and killed him.

Responding to Defence questions, the witness confirmed that he knew that the indictee was a construction worker and that members of the Skelani Unit were allowed to temporarily leave the Unit in order to work.

The trial is due to continue on Thursday, March 24.

M.T.