Witness Describes Fleeing and Detained Civilians at Saric Trial
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Saric is facing trial for his involvement in the Srebrenica genocide. He’s been charged with commanding the police forces which participated in the search, disarmament and forcible resettlement of women, children and the elderly; as well as separating men and boys who were executed in the Srebrenica area later on.
The prosecution alleges that Saric ordered the policemen under his command to guard the road between Bratunac and Konjevic Polje. He allegedly ordered the capture of Bosniak men who were trying to escape the protected zone of Srebrenica by walking through the woods.
Protected witness SG-9 told the court that on July 11 or 12, 1995, he was deployed from Mount Jahorina to the Srebrenica area. He said one of his unit’s first tasks was guarding women and children who were arriving from Potocari.
“There were many women and children and buses. They got on the buses, which then transported them to Kladanj,” he said.
When asked by prosecutor Ibro Bulic whether he saw men being separated from women and children in Potocari, SG-9 said he hadn’t, although he’d heard rumours about it.
Bulic read a portion of a statement previously given by SG-9, in which he described men being separated from women and children.
“That’s more or less how it was,” said SG-9.
The witness said after guarding the women and children of Potocari, his unit was tasked with guarding the road leading to Konjevic Polje. He said they were told that persons who surrender should be brought to a field.
“There were cases of people surrendering. A rather big group surrendered to us, so we escorted them to the field. It consisted of a couple hundred people. They looked tired. Also, people were invited to surrender via a megaphone,” SG-9 said.
He said later on he heard rumours that Bosniak captives were killed in Kravica.
Prior to departing to the field, SG-9 said he didn’t know where he was going. He said Dusko Jevic addressed him on Mount Jahorina, and said he didn’t know Goran Saric at that time.
“While we were in the Srebrenica area, I did not know about Goran Saric. I did not know what Goran Saric’s function was,” he said.
A new state prosecution witness is expected to testify on April 20.
