Former Sixth Battalion Soldiers Deny Knowledge of Petkovci Killings

Two witnesses testifying in defense of Ostoja Stanisic and Marko Milosevic said the Bosnian Serb Army’s Sixth Battalion didn’t participate in the execution of captives from Srebrenica.

Ostoja Stanisic and Marko Milosevic are on trial for the mass killing of approximately 1000 Srebrenica civilians on a dam near Petkovci in mid-July 1995. According to the indictment, the prisoners were held in a new school building in Petkovci prior to being taken to the dam.

The indictment alleges that at the time Stanisic was the commander of the Sixth Battalion of the Zvornicka Brigade of the Bosnian Serb Army, which was based in Petkovci, while Milosevic was his deputy.

Stamenko Milosevic, a former member of the Sixth Battalion, testified at today’s hearing. He said he was in a military position in the vicinity of the village of Petkovci in the municipality of Zvornik during the killings in Srebrenica.

He said his company commander informed him that captives had been brought to Petkovci. He said he heard some time later that they had been shot on a dam in the vicinity of Petkovci.

He said he didn’t know who participated in the murders, and said he hadn’t heard that any members of his unit were among the perpetrators.

Milenko Eric, another former member of the Sixth Battalion, also said he was in a military position in mid-July 1995. He said Stanisic and Milosevic occasionally visited those positions. He said Milosevic was wounded on the frontline and that he bandaged his wound.

Eric said he was injured around the date of July 12, 1995, while prosecutor Predrag Tomic said Milosevic was injured on July 16.

Eric also said that the Sixth Battalion had nothing to do with the execution of the Petkovci captives.

The trial will continue on August 26.