Kornjaca: Indictee Reacts Furiously

“The news came to Cajnice like a bolt out of the blue. Milun was cursing and yelling. He said that whoever had done it should be shot,” witness Desimir Djeric said.

Djeric worked with the Police Station in Cajnice until April 1992. After having spent some time at hospital due to health problems, he returned on May 13. As he said, he was deployed to the Military Section, where he performed administrative tasks, like the distribution of fuel, cigarettes, passes and so on.

He said that, as far as he could remember the murder in the hunters’ house happened on May 18 and, on the following day people said that a person named Velja Tadic, who has since died, participated in the murder.

“Velja hid in Montenegro afterwards… It was not possible to arrest him,” the witness said, when asked by the Prosecutor whether any measures were taken against the perpetrators.

Kornjaca, former Commander of “Plavi orlovi” (“Blue Eagles”) paramilitary unit, is charged with having participated in the persecution of Bosniaks from the Cajnice area. Among other things, the Prosecution charges him with having participated in the murder of 11 Bosniak civilians at Mostina on May 19, 1992.

Witness Djeric said that Bosniak civilians from Cajnice were arrested and detained in the hunters’ house in order to be exchanged for Serbs, who were arrested in Gorazde.

Djeric said that he knew that Milun Kornjaca led the “Plavi orlovi” unit, but, at this hearing he was not able to specify whether it was a paramilitary formation or part of the Territorial Defence.

“The Territorial Defence was disbanded into companies. They were named after local community names. Milun was commander of that unit, but I do not know how it all functioned,” Djeric said.

As far as he knows, prior to the breakout of the war the “Plavi orlovi” unit did not undertake any activities.
“I do not know who issued orders to unit members. Milun’s brother Dusko was influential. Milun probably reported to him on his activities,” the witness said.

As said by witnesses, who previously testified at this trial, Dusko Kornjaca was the head of Cajnice municipality and the Serbian Democratic Party, SDS in that town.

Witness Djeric said that he did not know that Bosniak men were taken to a container at Mostina, where the hunters’ house was located as well. However, he confirmed that some Bosniaks from Cajnice told him that they were beaten up at Mostina.

The trial is due to continue on May 19.