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Milorad Karanovic, former member of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, recalled having come across Slavko Stricevic, Petar and Brane Babic in the centre of Bravsko, near the school building, where many other local residents were present, one day in the summer of 1992.
“Slavko said that three captives were held in the Post Office building. I was in the Unit’s premises until 3 p.m. When I came back people were saying that the men had been killed and dumped into a pit. Later on I heard from local residents that Slavko and Obrad Ozegovic were there, but I was not present, so I do not know who killed those young men,” Karanovic said.
He said that he had not heard that indictee Milutin Babic participated in the mistreatment of the captives.
Milutin Babic, former member of VRS, is charged with having participated, together with Obrad Ozegovic and Slavko Stricevic, in the murder of three captives – Mustafa Cikota, Emsud Smailovic and Sadik Burnic in the second half of June 1992.
Testifying at this hearing, Dusko Babic said that local residents from Bravsko village told him that some young men were killed, so he went there to see what happened.
“I know Milutin Babic. He used to live in Kljuc, but I did not notice him in the mass of people on that day. I did not hear that he participated in the murder of those people either,” Babic said.
Third Cantonal Prosecution witness Stevan Latinovic said that he was at home in Bravsko, when he heard a gunshot and an invitation by Rade Sobot to move towards the old road, “because enemy soldiers entered the village”.
“When we came to the Post Office, we saw two soldiers sitting on a concrete block, while another one was lying dead in a big puddle of blood in front of them. A big soldier ordered me to sit down. Obrad Ozegovic, who held a pistol, sat in the car and asked me where Dervis had been shot. Veselko Ozegovic drove a tractor to the pit. When we arrived, Obrad and I squatted. I heard two bursts immediately after that, one following the other. Obrad and I did not see who was shooting. Veselko headed back in the tractor. All of us got onto it and went back,” witness Latinovic said.
He mentioned that he knew Milutin Babic, but he did not remember whether he was in the village that day.
The trial continuation date will be set at a later stage, once indictee Babic has undergone an eye surgery.
