Murders and abuse of Bosniaks in Cajnice

Through the interrogation of 60 witnesses, the State Prosecution tried to prove that Kornjaca was, as commander of the unit, responsible for the unlawful detention and abuse of Bosniaks, killings of 11 civilians from the village of Brdo, and because he did not take measures to punish the perpetrators of the killings of 27 civilians in Lovacki dom in Mostina. The Defence denied Kornjaca’s guilt regarding these charges.

In his closing arguments, prosecutor Dzevad Muratbegovic requested that Kornjaca should be convicted under the law, saying that he “significantly contributed in the abuse and killings of the detainees”, while the Defence attorney Milana Borovcanin-Bulic called for Kornjaca’s acquittal. 

Kornjaca was arrested in mid-December 2009, and has been held in custody for two years and eight months. His trial began in February 2011.

Initially, Kornjaca was on trial together with Milorad Zivkovic and Dusko Tadic, but the procedures against two of them were separated due to Kornjaca’s illness.

In April last year, Zivkovic was sentenced to six years in prison under a first instant verdict because as chief of the Public Security Station (SJB) Cajnice, he participated in the arrest of Bosniak civilians, while Tadic was acquitted of all charges.

Hit at the back of the head

A large number of witnesses of the Prosecution said that in the spring of 1992, Bosniaks in Cajnice were arrested and imprisoned in a tin container, where they were detained in unsanitary conditions, without enough air, light, food and water, and were interrogated and severely abused.

Witness Hamid Hasovic said that Kornjaca and the Serb Democratic Party (SDS) were the main players at the beginning of the war in Cajnice.

“I personally saw tKornjaca abuse my elderly neighbour Juso Causevic. Milun took him and the other men to Mostina ‘for treatment’. There, they physically abused and beat them. The only reason why they were abused was because they were Bosniaks”, said Hasovic.

One of the Bosniaks who was arrested and abused in Mostina is Dzevad Seko, who said that Kornjaca himself was beating him.

“He started cursing and punching me all over the body. I defended myself, and then the other soldiers came and started to hit me. Afterwards, Kornjaca hit me with a rifle butt to the back of my head. I fell down and lost consciousness for a moment”, recalled Seko.

Testifying in his favor, the indictee Kornjaca said that he did not abuse anyone, which was also confirmed by the witnesses of the Defence.

Defence witness Ratomir Milovic said that he came to Mostina in April, 1992. There, he saw Kornjaca and some men who were coming out of one container.

“Men were going with ease, turned on their cars and went,” he said, adding that Kornjaca did not abuse anybody at the checkpoint.

Milos Lakovic, a former radioman of the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS), said that he often saw the indictee Milun Kornjaca and members of his unit on the frontline, but that they never made problems.

According to statements of witnesses of the Prosecution, the Bosniaks who were detained in container were transferred to Lovacki dom, where they were killed on May 19, 1992. Kornjaca is indicted for failing to take measures to punish the perpetrators of these murders.

Himzo Colak said that his brother Salih was the only one who survived the murders in Lovacki dom, but that he was later captured while he was fleeing to Montenegro, after which he was returned in Cajnice where he was killed.

“After Lovacki dom, he was covered in blood, wet and dirty. He was in shock, he didn’t talk much. He said that everybody was murdered. The next day, Salih began to speak about how Milun was beating him and pushing a gun into his mouth and that he shot above his head through his hair,” said Colak.

On the other hand, testifying in favour of the Defence, Desimir Djeric, former policeman of the Public Safety Station (SJB) of Cajnice, said that he is 90 percent certain that the late Veljo Tadic committed murders in Mostina.

Alibi to the Indictee

Witness of the Defence, Slobodan Perendija, tried to provide an alibi for the indictee Kornjaca regarding the murders in Mostina. He said that, along with Kornjaca, he went to Novi Sad in May 1992, where they spent two days, and that upon his return to Cajnice, he found out that “some felony was committed in Mostina”.

“When we came to the headquarters of the Territorial Defence, it was crowded and there were rumors that one of its members had killed some people”, said Perendija. 

According to the Prosecution, the Territorial Defence in Cajnice included members of the Blue Eagles unit, whose commander was Kornjaca. 

During his testimony, Kornjaca said that the Prosecution did not prove the existence of Blue Eagles unit, nor that he was their commander, and that therefore he could not take action to ensure that perpetrators of the killings in Mostina were punished.

As the witnesses of the Prosecution said, fifteen days after the murders in Lovacki dom, there were killings of a large number of civilians from the village of Brdo.

Witness Nedzad Borovac said that in May 1992, Kornjaca gave an order that the detained Bosniaks from the village of Brcko are to be transferred to Mostina.

“Milun was sitting in the garden and he immediately jumped up when he saw us. He asked: ‘Where are Almas and Smail’? He said afterwards: ‘To Mostina!’, while Hans said: ‘Somebody must go up there’. We immediately realised that they want to do something bad to us”, said Borovac.

Borovac explained that Almas and Smail were his neighbours, while a certain “Hans” was one of the “uniformed persons”.

Safet Sisic said that his grandmother told him that his father, along with other men from the village of Brdo, was arrested and taken to Mostina.

“Corpse ‘605’ was my father. I recognised him from his two front teeth, belt, boots and a bank cheque book. I was sure it was him, but then again I was waiting for the DNA findings”, said Sisic.

Testifying in his favour, Kornjaca said that it is unknown to him that the villagers from Brdo were brought in front of the hotel in Cajnice and imprisoned in a metal container, and that he has nothing to do with their arrest.

During more than three years of the trial, an analysis of the indictee’s health condition was repeatedly performed, and it was found out that in 1992, he had an irrelevantly reduced ability to control his actions because of alcohol dependence, but that overall, he was able to understand the unlawfulness of his actions.

According to the recommendation of doctors, Kornjaca could attend the trial for a maximum of 90 minutes.