Road to Death

Mirsada Malagic said that she saw her husband and two sons for the last time on the road towards Potocari on the day of the fall of Srebrenica. Her husband and older son joined other men, who walked through the woods towards Tuzla, while the witness, her father-in-law and younger son went to the UNPROFOR compound in Potocari.
 
“The place was crowded with people. I did not even properly say goodbye to my folks. We parted ways, while grenades were falling around us,” Malagic said.
 
Mirsada Malagic never again saw her husband Salko, who was 44 at the time, son Admir, who was aged 15-and-a-half, and 20-year old son Elvir.
 
Prior to loading them onto buses in Potocari on July 13, 1995, Serb soldiers separated the witness’ 70-year old father-in-law from her. She has never seen him again either.
 
Malagic, who was hit on her hand by a shrapnel piece, saw General Mladic in Potocari on that same day. She said that he assured the mass of refugees that “no harm would be done to anybody” and that “we would go to Kladanj”.
 
“My father-in-law was found in a mass grave in Snagovo, while my husband and middle son were found at Zvornicka Kamenica in 2009. My son Elvir was too later found at Kamenica,” Malagic said.
 
As she said, she buried her father-in-law, husband and middle son in the Memorial Centre in Potocari on the 15th anniversary of the fall of Srebrenica – July 11, 2010. Her older son was buried two years later.
 
Mladic, the then Commander of VRS, is charged with genocide against about 7,000 men from Srebrenica and persecution of their women and children in July 1995.
 
Witness Saliha Osmanovic spoke about losing her husband and 18-year old son. The remains of Ramo and Nermin Osmanovic were found in a mass grave 14 years later.
 
“We left the house together. On July 11 we parted our ways – they went through the woods, while I went to Potocari… I have never seen them again… My husband told me that I should go with other local residents. ‘Saliha, you should go with the others, no matter what happens.’ These were the last words he said,” the witness said.
 
She said that a cousin told her that her husband Ramo left the column of men walking through the woods on July 13, 1995 “in order to see us passing by” and that “he was captured”.
 
The prosecutors played a recording, depicting Ibro Osmanovic, who was surrounded by Serb soldiers, standing on the road and inviting his son Nermin and other Muslim men to come out of the forest and surrender.
 
“This is my husband. He is calling my son Nermin’s name out,” the witness confirmed. Her other son, 17-year old Edin, was killed by a grenade in Srebrenica on July 6, 1995.
 
Osmanovic said that Serb soldiers separated her father-in-law from her in Potocari. When asked what happened to him, she said:
 
“There is no way I can know that. He was not the only one who was separated. All Muslim men were… He is gone. Many people are gone”.
 
The witness said that she lost her brother too, adding that he was among the men, who were trying to break through to Tuzla.
 
Responding to questions by Mladic’s Defence attorney Dragan Ivetic, the witness confirmed that her husband was a member of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
 
The trial of Mladic, who is also charged with persecuting Muslims and Croats throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, terrorising civilians in Sarajevo and taking UNPROFOR members hostage, is due to continue on Tuesday, May 21.