Peric et al: Last Lunch Together

Witness Zijada Hatic said that at the beginning of August 1992, she was detained in the Miladin Radojevic school building, together with other neighbours from Jelasac village, Kalinovik municipality, including her father-in-law Hasim.

“I went to a neighbour’s house, where a few of us sat together. Aleksandar Cerovina entered the house. He behaved in a correct manner. He said that we had to be arrested too, so we went out of the house,” the witness said, adding that they gathered in front of a neighbour’s house before being taken to the school building.

Hatic said that men had been arrested earlier, taken to the school building and then transferred to Barutni magacin (Gunpowder Depot).

The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina charges Aleksandar Cerovina, Milan Peric and Spasoje Doder, former leaders of the Patrol Sector with the Public Safety Station in Kalinovik, and Predrag Terzic, with having participated in crimes committed against the non-Serb population in Kalinovik municipality in 1992.

The indictment alleges that Peric, Doder, Terzic and Cerovina unlawfully arrested civilians and took them to the Miladin Radojevic school building and Barutni magacin detention camp, where most of them were killed.

Ajka Sakala, Zijada Hatic’s daughter, also testified at this hearing. Sakala recalled her father Ismet’s arrest in June 1992.

“My father came back from work. We were at home, having lunch together. It was our last lunch together, and we did not finish it. My father left, because he had received an invitation to perform civil duty. He told us to run away if he did not return,” Sakala said.

The witness said that her brothers managed to flee before four armed men came to the house looking for them.

Sakala recalled the day when her mother was taken from the village and what indictee Cerovina, whom she had known from before, said on that day.

“Aleksandar asked me where I was going. I said I would go wherever all the others went. He said: ‘Run anywhere, it will be better for you’,” the witness said, adding she thought the indictee helped her in that way.

The witness said that she managed to escape from Kalinovik, together with her younger sister and two other children, on the following day.

Fadila Hatic appeared as a witness at this hearing as well. She was among other people, including witness Zijada and other neighbours, who were taken to the school building where, she said, people were mistreated, killed and raped.

“Another woman and I cleaned bloody floors and walls in the school building,” the witness said.

A.J.