Koricanske stijene: Interventions Squad Escorting Convoy

Radakovic, a former member of the Public Safety Station in Prijedor who was acquitted under a first instance verdict of the charges for crimes committed at Koricanske stijene, testified in defence of indictees Sasa Zecevic, Radoslav Knezevic and Marinko Ljepoja.

He said that he knew the indictees, but he did not see them among the escorts of the convoy travelling to Travnik on August 21, 1992.

“I heard about the convoy for the first time on that morning, when Miroslav Paras issued orders. I went to Tukovi by minivan. The convoy departed sometime between 10 and 11 o’clock. I was in a bus at the end of the convoy, which stopped several times during the course of the trip. When we arrived in Smetovi, the civilians got off the bus. I went back immediately,” Radakovic said.

The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina charges Zecevic, Knezevic, Ljepoja, Petar Civcic and Branko Topola with having escorted a convoy of more than one thousand of civilians who were traveling from Prijedor to Travnik on August 21, 1992. They allegedly separated and then murdered about 200 men at Koricanske stijene.

The indictment alleges that Civcic was Commander of the First Section with the Interventions Squad of the Public Safety Station in Prijedor, Zecevic, Ljepoja and Knezevic were members of the Squad and Topola was a member of the Territorial Defence.

The witness said that members of the Interventions Squad escorted the convoy. He said that most of them were present in Tukovi, which was the convoy departure point, on that day, adding that he did not see indictees Civcic and Topola on that day either.

The trial is due to continue on March 31, when Damir Ivankovic will be examined. After pleading guilty, Ivankovic was sentenced to 14 years in prison for participation in the shooting of about 200 civilians at Koricanske stijene.