Defendants Not Associated with Killing of Medosevici Family, Witnesses Say

The state prosecution has charged Marjan, Milosav and Slavko Jovanovic with killing five Bosniak civilians in the village of Medosevici in June 1992. They allegedly killed two civilians with firearms and another with a blow to the chest. The defendants then allegedly killed children by locking them in a house and setting it on fire.

The three defendants and Stevo Jovanovic have also been charged with killing an 86-year old woman in the village of Buckovici on June 4, 1992 and setting her house on fire.

According to the charges, the defendants were members of the Third Podrinjska Light Infantry Brigade of the Bosnian Serb Army.

Defense witness Dragan Jovanovic, who is related to defendant Marjan Jovanovic, said he knew Ahmet Medosevic, his wife and their son, Mevludin. He said he didn’t know about the fate of the Medosevic family.

“I hadn’t heard anything about it until these men were arrested,” Jovanovic said.

Defense witness Cedo Vukovic said he built a summer house in the vicinity of the houses of the defendants. He described them as the best neighbours one could possibly have.

“Honourable court, they are honest and good people and good householders. All of them are hardworking…I have never heard a single bad word about them,” Vukovic said.

He was asked if he had heard rumours associating the Jovanovic family with the disappearance of the Medosevic family. Vukovic said people had not spoken about it and that he hadn’t heard anything.

Defense witness Vasilije Vreco said he was deployed to the frontline as a member of the medical personnel. He said Slavko, Marjan and Milosav Jovanovic were in a dugout next to his. He said he was playing cards with the three defendants when they saw fire coming from houses nearby.

Vreco said they went to sleep. He said he found out later on that his house, as well as three or four other houses, were burned down that night.

“We couldn’t leave the frontline. We couldn’t go there. We were in the woods at a great distance,” Vreco said.

He said he hadn’t heard that the defendants were associated with the disappearance of the Medosevics.

The trial will continue on March 11.