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Panic said that the deportation of Bosniaks was completed by June 1992, adding that many men were killed in numerous detention centres. The witness said that Zeljko ‘Arkan’ Raznatovic’s paramilitary unit, which was followed by local police, led the attack on Zvornik on April 8, 1992.
“Muslims did not offer any resistance,” Panic said.
Among other things, Karadzic is charged with the persecution of non-Serbs in 20 municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, among which was Zvornik. Besides that, Karadzic is charged with genocide in Srebrenica, the terrorising of Sarajevo citizens and taking international personnel hostages.
During the course of his testimony Panic said that, acting on an order issued by the Police Station Commander, two days prior to the attack on Zvornik Serb policemen detached themselves from the others and went to Karakaj, where paramilitary soldiers led by Raznatovic and others had already arrived.
“The arrival of Arkan’s unit had been agreed with Commander of the Police Station in Zvornik. I heard that they paid him 300,000 Marks,” Panic said.
Panic said that, on June 1, 1992 police forces “assisted in” the deportation of between five and six thousands of Bosniak civilians from Klisa, while about 700 men were detained in the technical school building in Karakaj.
Protected witness KDZ-052 testified for The Hague Prosecution at this hearing. He said that he survived the murder of 18 Bosniaks in the vicinity of Sanski Most.
According to the witness, local Serb reserve police members committed the crime in Blazevici village on June 28, 1992. Witness KDZ-052 said that the youngest victim was 14 or 15 years old.
Witness KDZ-052 said that Serb soldiers captured Bosniak men from Kenjari village and took them to Blazevici. He said that they then forced five young prisoners to go inside a house and threw a bomb into it. KDZ-052 told the Court that he jumped through the window and, together with another Bosniak, ran away towards some fields.
As he was shot at while being in the field, the witness went back towards his house. He said that he heard members of reserve forces ordering the other, older Bosniaks, to stand against the wall and shooting them.
Witness KDZ-052 said that he was then captured again and held in inhumane conditions, together with about 600 other Bosniaks, in the “Krings” Factory complex in Sanski Most. As he said, he was beaten up, but “much less than the others”, prior to being released in September 1992. He said he then left Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Indictee Karadzic is due to cross-examine witness Panic on Tuesday, September 20 this year.
R.M.
