Milisavljevic et al: Running away and Carrying Baby in Arms

Witness Sabahudin Celik from Smrijece village, Visegrad municipality, said that, in June 1992 he joined a convoy with his family and other local residents after having been assured that they would leave Visegrad safely. Celik said that, while they were in a bus at the square in Visegrad, he saw indictee Milisavljevic, who was dressed in military uniform and armed. He said that he had known the indictee from before, because they used to work for the same company. Besides that, the witness said that he “most probably” saw indictee Milisavljevic in Sokolac, where the convoy took a long break.As he said, upon their arrival at Iseric Brdo, women and children were told to get off the bus, while the men were told to stay. “I went out of the bus in order to give my child to my wife. I could not find my wife. I started running away. Nobody was shooting at me, so I continued running. I was among the first people who arrived in some village. I found out that those men were Muslims. My wife arrived later on,” Celik said.According to the State Prosecution’s charges, Bosniak men, who were separated from other convoy passengers at Iseric Brdo, were killed near the Paklenik pit, Sokolac municipality. The indictment alleges that only one man managed to flee from the execution location.The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina charges Milisavljevic and Pantelic with having participated in the murder of several tens of Bosniaks near the Paklenik pit, Sokolac municipality. The two indictees and Tasic are charged with having participated in the forcible resettlement of more than 500 Bosniak civilians from the Visegrad area. The indictment alleges that Milisavljevic and Pantelic, former members of reserve police forces in Visegrad, and Tasic, former member of the Republika Srpska army, VRS, committed the mentioned crimes in the period from April to June 1992. Witness Celik pointed out that Ferid Spahic told him about the fate of the men, who had stayed in the bus, after the war.“He told me that he saw Predrag shooting those people before the others, adding that he managed to survive,” Celik said. When asked by the Defence of Milisavljevic whether he saw its client mistreat anybody at the square in Visegrad or in Sokolac, the witness answered negatively. The trial is due to continue on January 15.