volume III

INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
CASE CONCERNING APPLICATION OF THE CONVENTION ON THE
PREVENTION AND PUNISHMENT OF THE CRIME OF GENOCIDE
(CROATIA v. SERBIA)
REJOINDER
SUBMITTED BY THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA
VOLUME III
ANNEXES 44 - 76
NOVEMBER 2011

3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION III: Documents relating to Chapter VIII of the Rejoinder - Operation
Storm as a violation of the Genocide Convention
Annex 44: ICTY, Gotovina et al., IT-060-90, Excerpts from the testimony of
Witness John Geoffrey William Hill, 27 & 28 May 2008, Transcript,
pp. 3736-3741, 3746-3752, 3756-3757, 3766-3768, 3771-3772 ,
3776, 3778-3779, 3786 .......... ..................................................................... 9
Annex 45: ICTY, Gotovina et al., IT-060-90 , Excerpts from the testimony of
Witness Joseph Lorenzo Claude Bellerose, 7 July 2008, Transcript ,
pp. 5862-5867 , 5870-5874 ........................... ......................... ................... 25
Annex 46: ICTY, Gotovina et al., IT-060-90, Excerpts from the testimony of
Witness Andrew Brook Leslie, 22 & 23 April 2008, Transcript,
pp. 1937, 1939- 1940, 1942-1943, 1966-1968, 1972-1973, 1992-1993,
2015, 2046-2047, 2081-2082 , 2119-2121 ........................... ..................... 33
Annex 47: ICTY, Gotovina et al., IT-060-90, Excerpts from the testimon y of
Witness Marija Vecerina, 17 July 2008, Transcript, pp. 6716-6722,
6741 ................................... .......................... ........................ ..................... 43
Annex 48: ICTY, Gotovina et al., IT-060-90 , Excerpts from the testimony of
Witness Mile Durié, 12 June 2008, Transcript , pp. 4839-4841 ,
4843-4844 ............................ ......................... ........................ .................... 49
Annex 49: ICTY, Gotovina et al., IT-060-90, Excerpts from the testimon y of
Protected Witness P-136 , 13 & 14 March 2008 , Transcript ,
pp. 643-44, 646-47, 665-66 , 668, 673-74 , 676-77, 692-93, 747-48 ,
777-80, 790-91 , 800, 803 ..................................................... .................... 53
Annex 50: ICTY, Gotovina et al., IT-060-90, Excerpts from the testimony of
Protected Witness P-054, 14 May 2008, Transcript, pp. 2813-14,
2819-21 ................................ ........................ ......................... ............. ....... 65
Annex 51: ICTY, Gotovina et al., IT-060-90, Excerpts from the testimony of
Protected Witness P-056, 26 May 2008, Transcript , pp. 3532-33,
3546 ..................... ........................................ ....................... ...................... 71
Annex 52: District Court in Pozarevac , Serbia, Minutes of the witness hearing
4
Redacted
Redacted
Redacted
ofMirko Mrkobrad, dated 13 March 1997 ........................... .................... 75
Annex 53: Basic Court in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Minutes of
the witness hearing of Boris Martinovié, dated 7 May 1997 ................... 87
Annex 54:
Annex 55: Municipal Court in Vrsac, Serbia, Minutes of the witness hearing
of Bozo I vanovié, dated 17 April 1997 .................................................. 109
Annex 56: District Court in Belgrade, Serbia, Minutes of the witness hearing
of Ljubica Krasulja, dated 13 December 1996 ..................... .................. 117
Annex 57:
Annex 58: District Court in Belgrade, Serbia, Minutes of the witness hearing
ofDara Valentié, dated 30 August 1995 ..................................... ........... 135
Annex 59: Municipal Court in Svilajnac, Serbia, Minutes of the witness
hearing of Mile Vracar, dated 1 September 1998 ................. ................. 145
Annex 60: District Court in Sombor, Serbia, Minutes of the witness hearing
ofDusanka Mraovié, dated 7 May 1997 ......................... ....................... 153
Annex 61: Basic Court in Prijedor, Bosnia and Herzegovina , Minutes of
the witness hearing of Sava Utrzen, dated 7 April 1997 ............. ........... 161
Annex 62: District Court in Belgrade, Serbia, Minutes of the witness hearing
of Petar Batak, dated 2 July 1997 .................. .............................. ........... 171
Annex 63: District Court in Leskovac, Serbia, Minutes of the witness hearing
of Milan Berié, dated 23 September 1996 ........................................ ...... 181
Annex 64:
Annex 65: Municipal Court in Apatin, Serbia, Minutes of the witness hearing
of Jovica Piplica, dated 30 October 1998 ............................... ................ 203
Annex 66: Municipal Court in Vrsac, Serbia, Minutes of the witness hearing
of Zeljko Dubajié, dated 15 January 1999 ............................................. 209
Annex 67: Excerpts from the Minutes of the session of the Presidency of
the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), held on 11 August 1995
at the Presidential Palace in Zagreb ........................................ ............... 219
Annex 68 : Excerpts from the Record of a meeting between the President of the
Republic of Croatia, Dr. Franjo Tudman, and Minister Dr. Jure Radié,
5
held on 22 August 1995 at the Presidential Palace in Zagreb ................ 243
Annex 69: Excerpts from the Record of a meeting between the President of the
Republic of Croatia, Dr. Franjo Tudman, and the military officials
of the Republic of Croatia, held on 23 August 1995 at the
Presidential Palace in Zagreb ......................... ................................ ........ 269
Annex 70: BBC, the Speech of President Tudman in Knin on 26 August 1995,
according to Croatian Radio Zagreb .............. ................. ....................... 285
Annex 71: Jutarnji list, Zagreb, 4 May 1998,
"War turned me into a killing machine" .......................... ...................... 291
Annex 72: Ivan Zvonimir Cicak, President of the Croatian Helsinki Committee
for Human Rights: "Krajina burning again", authorized article
published in Ferai Tribune, Croatia, on 16 March 1998 ........................ 299
Annex 73: Amnesty International Briefing to the UN Committee against
Torture, 2010 ................. ............................ .......................... ................... 305
Annex 74: Youth Initiative for Human Rights Report, "Against Immunity of
Power: prosecution of war crimes in Croatia ", March 2011 .................. 327
Annex 75: Conclusions of the Government of the Republic of Croatia of
15 April 2011, communicated to the diplomatie missions accredited
in Croatia with the diplomatie note No. 2081/11 of 19 April 2011 ....... 357
Annex 76: Letter of the Commissariat for Refugees of the Republic of Serbia,
No. 019-542/1 of5 August2011 ................. ........................ ................... 363

SECTION III
Documents relating to Chapter VIII of the Rejoinder -
Operation Storm as a violation of the Genocide
Convention

ANNEX44
ICTY, Gotovina et al., IT-060-90, Excerpts from the
testimony of Witness John Geoffrey William Hill, 27 &
28 May 2008, Transcripts, pp. 3736-3741, 3746-3752,
3756-3757,3766-3768,3771-3772,3776,3778-3779,3786

11
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
Case Gotovina et al., IT-060-90
Transcripts of witness testimonies
Witness: John Goeffrey William Hill
(The commander of the United Nations Military Police in Sector South from June until
December 1995)
Transcriptpage3736
27 May 2008
[ ... ]
[ ... ]
Mr. Geoff Hill was t h e commander of the United Nat ions Mili tary Police i n
Sector South from June until Dece mbe r 19 95 . Prior to Operation Storm, h e
liaise d with the RSK mi ni ster of the in terior and c hi ef of police in Kn i n ,
and worked to mainta in the secur ity of ON perso nne l througho ut Sector South,
and t o prevent hija cks and theft the ON equ i pme nt .
He was presen t in Knin during the a rt illery attacks on 4 and 5Au gust 1 995,
and observed the s helling of Kn i n fr om t he üNHCR compound . Aft e r Operati on
Storm, he managed to leave the UN HQ compound during the HV block ade and gain
access to many areas in Sector South where h eobserved she l li ng damage and
also witnessed HV soldiers , Speci al Police, a nd ci vilian poli c e e n gaged in
lo ot ing or acts of destruction. He also di sc ove re d several dead bodies and
eviden ce of killings o n the road used by the Serbs to flee t he Krajina.
Mr. Hil l also gained the trust of a HV mili t ary p ol i ce commander named I van
Jurie, who i n d i cate d that he was in cha rge of al l mili tary
12
Transcript Page 3737
police units in the territory of the former RSK, including theirantiterrorist
unit, and who provided Mr. Hill with information regardingthe
conduct of Operation Storm and the fact that all Serbs in the territory of
the former RSK were considered terrorists.
[ ... ]
Q. Let's turn now to the shelling that happened on 4 August. If you could
please explain to the Court what you personally
Transcript Page 3738
observed or heard of the shelling on that day.
A. On that morning at 0500 exactly, an artillery barr age started of Knin,
in what I believe was from the south and the east. It was hundreds and
hundreds and hundreds of artillery rounds. I immediately moved with the
platoon I had on the grass to the back of the MP building, taking two MPs out
of building and sending them up to their bunkers. We stayed in the
bunker. It was for the escort platoon. Ther e was two major salvos. I
believe one was about 30 minutes, long followed by a pause which I had
believed would be for them to reload to restock, and then another 30
minutes.
It was hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of roads. I was in thebunker with
the platoon this way tome. The doors were openapproximately this wide, and
I could see out over the town and there was orange glows and original bursts
from the air-bursts of the artillery.
That went on for approximately 90 minutes, and t here was enough of a lullthat
I could then move up to the top of the camp where my MP platoon was to my
bunker. My bunker is on the edge of the camp with the ARSK camp, and I'm
looking directly into Knin.
13
The shelling continued. It was ge tt ing to t he poi nt where we cou ld list en to
how close the round was coming i n a nd obser v e. I t oo k some photo s of t he
town being shelled. At that point -- or d u ring th a t ti me, a mort ar r ou n d
impacted the building directly over my head on th e corner. A su bseque n t UNMO
CBA or CDA was done t o say that i s was an 82-mi lli metre mor tar f rom the
ARSK. And a rifle propelled gr e na de pas se d t he entra nce t h e bunk er and
detonated approximately six feet off the
Transcript Page 3739
ground back to my left, and blew mys e lf and Corpo ral - I d on ' t rec all h i s
na me - d own t h e s t a ir s . We lost he l met , and we lo st our weapons. An d at that
point, the shelling abated to th e po int where i t was just hara ss ment, r at her
than a massive salvo o f hundreds a nd hundreds and hundreds of rou nds.
[ ... ]
Transcript Page 3740
[ ... ]
Q. Agai n, Mr. Hill, I t hin k on the sa me pa ge , and I thi n k alsod u ri n g t he
summary you just ga v e us, you use d t he term " har assment fire" whi ch you
indica t ed was the kin d of shelli ng th at was occ u rri n g aft e r the i nit i al
salvos .
Can you please explai n to the Cour t what you mean b y harass me ntf ire?
A. It's a term, I believe, firs t u sed by the Amer icans in Wor l dWar II, and
t h e n late r in Vi e tnam
Transcript Page 3741
the enemy is aware they are being a tt acked. It lim its movement , itlimi ts
resuppl y , and it basi c all y i s h a r a s s ing t he ene my rat he r th an an all out
offens i ve , like very earlier in th e morning where t here are hun dreds and
hundr e d s o f ro unds .
14
So, in the morning, t h ere was that in itial attack, hundred s and h undreds and
hund reds. It abated to this throug h the day; and then la t er in the evens
prior to 2300, it pic ked up aga i n to be the second highestle vel of shelli ng
for t h e day in Knin .
[ ... ]
Transcriptpage3746
[ ... ]
Q. And moving now t o the time that you said the she lling picked up at about
2300 hours, can you te ll the Court what you were do in g at a bout 2 300 ho urs?
A. I was summonsed to the fro n t gate of the camp where I met the Chief of
Staff, Co lonel Leslie, at the time. General Forand , our co mmand er, had
decided that he would take in the Ser b refugees. They hadbee n accumulati ng
at the gate throughout the d ay , seeking refuge from the she l ling . At that
point, there was in excess of 300. General Fora nd directed th e y would corne
in. The task was given tome. Colonel Leslie l eft . I used my escort p l atoo n
and my MP p latoo n, a nd we brought all th e ref ugees in, s ear ched t hern, lo dged
them in, I believe, one of th e b ars on b ase , as wel l as an auditorium and a
gym; th en began the process of searching, taki ng th ern to rnea ls , p utting a
wire compound around which lat er eventually rose t o o ver 850 and half our
camp .
Q. Can you tell the Court, sta rting at 2300 hours , how l ong it took you to
process eve ryone in on that night?
A. Until approximately 0230 hours.
TranscriptPage3747
Q. Mr. Hill, can you give the Court an idea of what the rnake up of what this
group of refugees was ?
15
A. Women, children, old men, old l adies. The r e were some mili t ary-aged
individuals in it. Basically, people that have corne from the town . They h ad
some bags, some personal belongs as they came i n .
[ ... ]
Q. Thank you. Now If we can mov e to the foll owing day, t h e 5th of Augus t ,
and if you could tell the Court , again, what yo u personally observed o r h ea r d
of the shelling on that day?
A. At approximately 0510, the she l li ng starte d again , same as the 4th, in
extremely large volumes , hundreds and hundr e ds o f round, sli gh tl y less than
the bombardment on the morning of t he 4th, thro ugh out the town o f Knin .
[ ... ]
Transcript Page 3748
[ ... )
THE WITNESS: This was approximately 0930 hours. While talki n g to my
commander , General Forand, an artil l ery round hi t the wire a t th e corner of
our camp . Ge ner a l Forand instru c ted me to go an d che c k what h ad oc c urr e d. I
lef t the camp with a number of soldiers . I got to the T-intersection, just
outside the camp. I had also brought an OT- 64 wi th me, and I saw six
individuals who had been killed. Four were wound ed , a mixture o f civilia n
a nd military - I do not re c all th e e xact mi x - l a y ing on th e g r ound on tha t
road from the intersection, a little up past the camp .
I went back int o the camp . I requested an eng inee r, a Canadian engineer, to
go and c l ear the bodies of any p oten tial b ooby tr aps . Then at t hat point , I
wa s tasked by Genera l Forand to set up a p atrol wit hin th e c amp , b e c a u se the
Jordanian troops were not going into their fig hti ngpositions . They were
staying in their bunkers. My soldiers were to go around and get them in
t h e ir firing positions .
16
Transcript Page 3749
I later learned that the bodies we r e all ba gged by th e ind ividual s that went
out with me. All the weapons, grenade, rock ets wer e taken offer the soldi er s
who were ARSK, and lodged in my cell area. And that 's the last dea ling I had
with that.
[ ... ]
Q. Mr. Hill, you indicated tha t the bodie s at the inters ection were bagged
by some of the people that you ha d g one out wit h . Do you knowwh at happe ned
t o those bodi e s la t er on?
A. They were bagged in the black bo dy-bags that we had and put by
Transcript Page 3750
the side of the road, across fro m the camp on a ro ad leadi ng upw ards o ut of
Knin. I was to ld th at HV, whe n they were martialing to go into Kn in fo r the
last night, fired AKs into the bodies after opening the bag s , a n d that
urinated and defecated on the bodi es .
At a later date, the bodies wer e ther e for qui te so me time. Irecal l see ing
t h em wi t h the bags opened , a nd o n e body in particu l ar h ad b een -- h ad feces
on the body and the bodies shot, even though the bo diesd ie d o r the cause of
death was the artillery round.
Q. Thank you . At some point later in the day , in your statement , you
indicate th at the HV e nt ere d the tow n -- or , actually , that they h a d corne to
the UN compound.
Can you describe for t he Court how t hey came t o the compound?
A . Th is i s t h e f irs t time that they came?
Q. Yes. When was t he first time yo u saw the m?
A. It was around n oo n that they came in, from around to the right of camp , where the Ser b or
ARSK barracks were. The y ar ri ved wit h three tanks , T-54, 55 -- I 'm sorr y ,
s i x ta nk s , T- 5 4, 55 , a nd thr ee APCs , T-BO s , wi th troops on foot . We ta l ked
17
to th em . General Leslie -- the y wa n ted to corne in to the camp a n d tak e the
refugees , and I'm sorry, Colonel Leslie, at the t i me , was ne got iating . He
eventually negotiated that th e Croa t s would stay out of the ca mp.
The Croats told us that "We must stay in the ca mp ." I was th ere d is cussing
with the soldiers. Two of the m were Ca na dians. One was ont op o f a tank. I
tal k ed to him and asked him h ow the offensiv e ha d gone . The y sa i d they t ook
30 hours to take Drnis, and then it on l y took five
Transcript Page 3751
from there to Knin.
I asked what they were going to do . He said th ey were go i ng t ok ill all t he
Serb. The ot her individua l , who was from, I be l ieve , Montreal or Ottawa , was
on th e left, was infa nt eer. And I had asked hi m, because h e spok e good
English, what he was doing there, and he said he h ad corne ba ck t o fight
a gainst the Se rbs and that h e had b ee n wa iting for this s in c e 194 5 . He was
approximately 22 years o ld.
[ ... ]
Q. And refe rring to your second statement th is time , that wou l d beP 2 92, I
believe, at page 0057 - 7655 . That is, again, be gin ning a t li n e 2 0 , where you
desc rib e trying to get in to th e t own of Knin . Can you tell t he Cou r t ab out
t h a t?
A. Around supper time, I took two OT-64 and two M-11 3 APCs to go in to t own ,
to try to get ba ck any refugees t hat we could f i nd . We wentdo wn the road t o
the T-int er se ction, where that bui ld i n g was I sh owedwith th e dam ag e ; t u rn ed
r i ght a n d got almost down t o t h e g a s st a ti o n . Th ere wa s o n e T- 5 4 t a n k in f ron t
of us. They start ed to move the ta n k , but then a commander ca me , either a
captain or a major HV. And he got extremely a g i ta t ed, and I s aid we we r e
going i nto t own. We wer e UN, we were tryi n g to f in d re fug ees . He abso l u tely
re fu se d, h e said i t was
18
Transcript Page 3752
forbidden, he put tank across the road , he was quite angry , and heordered us
back to camp.
When you looked behind, and turned around from the gas stati onand l ooked up
the road, beside our camp, the entire road to the top of the hill was line d ,
front to back, of tanks and APCs of HV with infantry on top. And it was
their assembly area before their final assault onKnin.
After ta lking to this major, he had talked about t aking our pistols , and he
had later put a tank in front of the gate to corne and take our pistols and
then later removed . And we were to l d that we cou l d n ot go in to Knin that
night.
Transcriptpage3756
28 May 2008
( ... ]
[ ... ]
Q. Now going back to your trip through Knin with the SIS officer , can you
describe for the Court what you witnessed of the behaviour of the soldiers in
Knin?
A. They were shooting into the a i r , they we re l ooti n g across t h e t own. We
spent approximately two hours driving around the town. There was various
check - points run by the HV, at that poin t not mil i t ary police , which we
freely got through with the identif i cation
The soldier were s ho ot ing in the a i r. At one po in t , we stopped at a
bar. They kicked out front. The y had eut a pig i n half, were eating the
pig, offered us some whiskey . Virtually, every area of t own yo u went to, t h e
soldie rs were coming out the of t he homes with app l ian ces , TVs , radios ,
19
clothes, and putting t hem into veh ic les, that t he y were ste a l i n g from t he
town of Knin.
There was buildings that were burn in g, there we r e buildings t h a t we re e i t h e r
damaged or destroyed from artiller y fire.
[ ... ]
Transcript page 3757
[ ... ]
THE WITNESS: It was n 't concentra ted on one ar ea. On any gi ve n a rea of t he
t own you we nt to, behind th e hosp i ta l, be h ind the p ar l iame n t , be l ow the
castle, you would see c ars being s to len and s o l di e r s comin g out o f h ouse s or
apartments with material they we re lo ading t h e car s with. An y par t of tow n
y ou we nt t o , you saw thi s .
J UDGE ORI E: As you d e scri be i t , i t so und s as a mass i ve e x e rcise .
THE WITNESS: Perhaps, on one a re a, when we wen t to a l ad y ' s hou se where he
put the sign on, pe r h a ps I only sa w t hre e in that area of three o r four
street , thr ee soldi er s. I t i s more pronou n ced downtow n. Th ere is a bi gg er
c oncentration o f s o ld ie r s , but a ls o t h e y were dr in king a nd s ho ot i ng, as well
as looting.
When you got outside o f downtown, i t was pur e l y th e l oo tin g .
Th ey we r e n't s i tti ng a r oun d a nd dr ink i n g .
JUDGE ORIE: Yes. And no doubt as to these b eing HV s oldi e rs.
THE WITNESS: Oh, no do ubt at al l.
JU DGE ORI E : Ful l y u n i f ormed .
THE WITNESS : Abso lu tely . With weap ons .
[ ... ]
Transcript page 3766
[ ... ]
20
Q. And, here, Mr. Hill, you discuss an incident with a OnitedNations
Serbian interpreter which occurred in downtown Knin on that day, and I would
like you to explain to the Court what happened there.
A. At approximately 19:30, I was advised there was an issue with the ON
worker downtown. I took several of my police with me. I went down to the
police station, and found a lieutenant HV, who came with me. At a certain
point of town, in an open courtyard in between two apartment buildings, there
was approximately 30 military individuals standing around.
At that point, they were agitated because of our weapons. I hadto give up my
long arm and my pistol to my second in command, and then I went to talk to
who I believe was in charge, who I thought was the commander of 4
Brigade. There was an ON pick-up truck with the right front tire shot out,
and it was flat. The back of the truck was filled with personal belongings,
and there was an ON employee, a Serbian interpr ete r, standing there.
When I approached the individual, there was an HV civilian police there, Jan,
who spoke very good English, and he acted as our interpreter.
I asked about the situation. I asked about the situation. The commander
showed me a piece of paper that was in, I believe, Croatian, that showed
Transcript Page 3767
that this individual had served in the ARSK army for, I believe, nine or ten
months.
Through the interpreter, he said he was a Chetnik and they were going to kill
him. All I understood from the commander was the word"Chetnik," and I
understood what it meant. Apparently, this individual left our camp, gone to
his own accommodation, and was retrieving personal items. We negotiated back
and forth that he could not shoot theindividual, it was not his
responsibility, the individual belonged tome.
21
And, eventually, he agreed that the individual would go with me; however, he
said that he could not guarantee the safety of the individual if his soldiers
saw him, or my safety which was the first time they said that. He said that
any helicopters leaving our camp with Serbs would be shot down, and any Serb
men of military age, 19 to 60, who leave our camp would be shot.
At this point, we took the individual, we surrounded him, moved him back to
our two vehicles, and drove him back to our camp.
[ ... ]
Q. And at this point in your statement, Mr. Hill, you discuss a trip that
you took through the town of Kistanj e, and I would like to describe for the Court what
you witnessed in that town?
A. That was the worse town I had seen for damage. There was no inhabitants
at all. I believe there was an HV company there on the
Transcript Page 3768
factory side. The majority of the homes destroyed by either artillery or
fire. They had artillery impacts on the outside of the town for thefirst
time, where we saw how they had walked the artillery into the town.
There was a massive war memorial, beautiful. It was huge made of it appeared
to be granite, that had been virtually destroyed, not byartillery but it
appeared as if by sledge hammers. In Canada, we would call it - I can't
remember - vandalism, but it was destroyed, completelydestroy. It was a
massive monument. There was an extremely strong smell of dead bodies, but
yet we found none. There was that single company of HV soldiers who were
resting by the factory area.
[ ... ]
Transcript page 3771
Q. Mr. Hill, here, you describe what you saw in the town of Gracac
22
Transcript page 3772
and I would like to you tell the Court, please, what you wit nes sed there.
A. We saw artillery impacts in the fields lead i ng up to the to wn. There was
no MP, so there was HV. I remember one check-p o int with HV soldier s by the
impacts. The town was fairly well destroyed. Sorne houses were still
burning. There was looting, and there were still some soldiers there. As i t
says in my statement, they were fr ie ndly. Again, large very s t rong smel l of
bodies . We drove everywhere with our windows open , so we could identif y
that. Then we continued to the Czech battalion.
Q. Can you tell t h e Court who wa s doing t h e loo t ing?
A. HV soldiers.
Q. And did you see any civilians in this tow n at that time ?
A. No . The town was empty.
[ ... ]
Transcript page 3776
Q. Mr. Hill, is tha t an example of what you sa w on that road ?
A. Yes. We would see a group of three or four homes, no soldiers, no
civilians around, and the homes woul d be burnin g . So I simply took a
picture as an example.
Another point along the route, once we got to Otric for the first time, we
saw all of the fields, all of the animals, cows, pigs , sheep, whatever , had
been killed, shot.
[ ... ]
Transcript page 3778
23
Q. Mr. Hill, here, y ou note that on driving ba ck towards Ot ri c, you sa w a n
orange VW, which I take to mean Vo lkswagen , fla t bed , with b odies
inside. I'd like you to explain these ve hi c l es to the Court and what you
know about them.
A. As we drove nor th and we found t he route, when we passed Ot r ic, we
noticed six bodies, f our soldiers and two ci v il i a n s, in a f i e l d by a
tractor. I wanted to take photos but I didn't, because we h ad found the
route. By the time we had gone up and back go wn do wn, the b od ies were go n e
and we had passed a Volkswagen fla t bed , oran ge , with the bodies on the back .
What we lat er di s covered is th i s i s how the HV we r e getting r i dof the
bodies. These individuals, I belie v e, had gre y un i forms, a nd it was th e
orange, flat bed VWs th at were rern ov ing the bod i es whene ve r th e y
TranscriptPage3779
were found.
Q. And had you seen these oran ge VWs elsewh er e in this sec to r?
A. After this point intime, yes .
~-J
Transcriptpage3785
Q. And during this discussion , d id you ask Mr. J urie the u ni ts over which
h e h a d cornma n d?
A. Yes. I had asked what the responsibility o f t he military pol ice were,
specifically on the day that the Cr oats soldier s h ad corne t o th ecamp. I n
front of the camp , I saw an indivi du al with a s hav ed head an d a gr ey unif orm ,
a lm ost lik e an ov e ral l uni fo rm wi t h a bl ack b e l t . But h e was ca rryin g a n MP-
5, which is a sub-rnac h ine gun. It was suppressed with a laser s i ght. He h ad
an old man at his feet, almost lik e a dog.
TranscriptPage3786
24
I had a sk ed Ivan wha t h e was, an d h e said he was co unter-te r ror i s t unit. And
I ask e d if that was part of the mi lita r y poli ce , an d he s ai d , y es , th at t hey
had mili t ary po lice, t he HV. But as pa rt o f th e mi li t a r y p olice , th ey had a
counter-terrorism un i t. I asked I v an , I said, "We l l, who a r e
terrori s ts?" And he s aid, "Serb s. "
ANNEX45
ICTY, Gotovina et al., IT-060-90, Excerpts from the
testimony of Witness Joseph Lorenzo Claude Bellerose,
7 July 2008, Transcript, pp. 5862-5867, 5870-5874

27
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
Case Gotovina et al., IT-060-90
Transcripts of witness testimonies
Witness: Joseph Lorenzo Claude Bellerose
7 July 2008
Transcript page 5862
[ ... ]
And with your permission , Mr. President I would li ke to read abrief summa r y
of the witness 's evidence.
JUDGE ORIE : Yes, please do so.
MR. ROSSO: Thank you.
"Mr . Belleros e was the sector engineer for t h e whole ofSector South fr om 15
June until 16 December 1995 a nd was responsibl e forsupervising all
engineering work, inc lu ding cons truct ion of observationposts and
demining . In connection with his dut i es h e travel l edextensi vel y throug hout
Sector South both prior to and af t erüperation Sto rm. He obs er ved that
there were not many soldiers in Kninprjor t o Oper ation Storm , and even in
his travels throughout the sect o r, h e only saw sma ll groups o f four or fi ve
ARSK soldiers at a time. He was p rese nt in Kn i n during th e arti llery attack
on the 4th and 5th of August, 1995, and obser ved the shelli ng from the
balcony of the UN HQ building .
"Mr. Bellerose del i vered medi cal supplies to th e hosp ita l dur in g
Transcript Page 5863
the shelling on the 4th of August and observed a great deal ofd evastati on ,
includi ng dead civilians an individuals in unif orm lying in the streets,
i njur e d people at the hosp ita l wi th limbs miss i ng and bu i l dings and cars on
fire.
"While he was supervising the del ive ry of medi cal supplies at the hospita l ,
s he lls were flying over hi s h ead and impa ct ing in the town . He prop osed and
28
implemented the plan for accommodating the Serbs who soughtrefuge in the UN
HQ compound, most of whom were women, children and theelderly.
"After Operation Storm, on 6 August, he observed Croatianauthorities
bringing in civilian trucks to clean up the main road inKnin. On 9 August
he travelled to the water-pumping station for Knin totry and restore water
service and observed that almost every house andapartment in Knin had been
looted. During his travels throughout thesector after Operation Storm, he
observed that many villages weredeployed by burning and looting. He was
often prevented from enteringvillages by Croatian special police and would
later see smoke rising fromhouses in those villages."
[ ... ]
Transcript page 5865
[ ... ]
Q. Thank you. I'd like to now move to the events of -- in Knin on 4
August 1995. Can you please tell the Court what you observed, what you
saw and heard of the shelling on that day?
A. The shelling started, I believe, around 5.00 in the morning onthe 4th,
and it was very intensive for about a period of one to twohours. From the
sound, it sounded like the artillery was all over theplace, in -- you know,
and there was no really any specific target.
Then after an hour or two, it slowed down. And then you couldhear
artillery landing everywhere in town, in -- you know, until I got onto the
balcony of the UN headquarters then I could see that they werelanding in
the different parts of town.
[ ... ]
Transcript Page 3866
[ ... ]
Q. Thank you. Moving to your first statement, that's P545, it'sthat onepage,
at paragraph l - it's the same in the B/C/S - you indicatethat you
took a trip to Knin hospital to deliver medical supplies on the4th,
29
sometime between 160 0 and 1800 hour s.
that trip for the Court.
I wou l d lik e you to please descri b e
A. I was asked by the Chief of Staff, General Leslie , to go to the
hospital -- well, the purpose of the trip was two -- threef old . First we
had to take General Forand to the Serb hea dquar te rs. Also to go to the
hospital to deliver medical supply. And on our way back our ta sk was t ogo
to several houses that we knew were UN civ ilian employee or -- and UN
civilian police were r esiding and to bring the m b ack to safet y inside t he UN
camp.
We did the trip with t wo arm our e d pe rson ca rrie r , one M-113 andone OT-
64. Inside the trip I was inside the vehic le, so I could not seewhat was
happening, but I could hear artil le ry shell landin g.
When we got t o the hospital , I got out of the ve h icle andsupe rv ise d the
unloading of medical supply. While I was outside the
Transcript Page 5867
hospital and outside the armour ed personnel carrie r, I co uld h ear shell
flying overhead and hea ring them explode in s ide Knin.
On our way back I was inside th e ar moured pe rsonn el carrier a nd then whe n we
got the lo cation of the address where we knew c i vi lianpol ice, UN civilian
p o li ce and UN employees were li ving , then I gotouts id e the veh i cle and I
could see devastation in the s t reet. Somebodies were lying do wn, some cars
were on fire, and I cou ld heara rtiller y round impacti ng to th e town.
Once we pickup as many people as we could and retrieve Gener al Forand, we
we nt b ac k to the UN compound.
Q. Thank you for t hat. Let me ask you, Mr. Bellerose , while youwere at
the hospital, did you see an ARSK tank anywhe re i n the area ?
A. No , I didn 't.
14 Q. Did you se e any ev i de n ce that a tan k or multiple tanks had
been
15 stationed near t he hospital ?
16 A. No , I didn ' t .
30
[ ... ]
Transcript page 5870
[ ... ]
A. The shelling on the 5th of Augu st was, whe n it started in themorning
was sti l l very extens iv e for t h e fi rs t hour. I b el ieve it started near 05 15
hours. And then l ater on, duri ng the day, it was o fnot extensive at
all. There was very sporadic, one shell maybe every te n , 15 minut es, a nd
there were at all -- a l l over th e p lac e. There was not one spe c ifi c
locati on . That was later on that during the a ftern oon .
Q. Thank you. Mr. Belleros e , can you t el l th e Court whe ther , on e ith er
the 4th or the 5t h of August, if you ever saw or he ard anyou t going
artille ry fire from Kni n?
A. I ne v er saw nor did I hear any outgoing f i re .
Transcript Page 5871
Q. Th an k you. And if we could mov e to your se con d stat eme nt aga in. Th at ' s
P546. At page 7. This i s in the B/C /S , page 6 . At the la st ful lp aragra ph
you o ffer some opinions and I will guote : " In my opinion th e s hel lin g of
Knin was carried ou t to drive away of the civilianpop ulati on . The shelli ng
was not di rected at spec ific mil itary targets . I bel ieve it was de libera te
harassment she lli ng."
Now I would lik e to discuss th e f actua l b asis f or ea ch on e ofthese op i ni ons
separat e ly. First let me ask you, what was the basis foryo u r opin i on that
the shelling was carried ou t t o dr iv e away the civ i lianpopulation?
A. In my opin ion , i f th e r e wou l d ha ve been milita ry target in t hose
locati o n that would have been ca using a threat to t he Croat forc es , the y
would have been more i ntensive and dir ect at a spec ific ta rget, be more
conce nt r ated.
Q. Can you te ll th e Cour t what you obs er ved tha t was not consis t en tw i t h
that ?
A. The artillery fi re wasn't con c entrated int o on e loca t i on . It was
landing all over th e t own more to a rando m f ashi on and at randomi nterva l .
31
Q. Thank you. And you indica t e d that the sh ell ing was no t di rectedat
specific mili t ary targets. Let me ask you f irs t t o please id e n tify or te ll
the Court what you believed the mi l itary t arg et s to be at t he t imeand why .
A. For what I ha v e seen in my t im e in Knin, the mi l itar y t a rg etwould have
been t he north camp, t he camp ad jace nt to the UN c ompound and
Transcript Page 5872
the RSK headquarter in downtown Knin .
Q. Thank you. You also offered th e opinio n tha t it was
deliberate harass ment fire, an d I wou l d l ik e you t o ple a s e ex p lain f or the
Court what you meant by th a t.
A. Because it was like a ran d om firing a l l over the plac e and random
interva l , you know, f or me, I belie ve d that thi s i s -- thi s is asitu at i on
t ha t will ma ke the occupan ts of t he t own , if they wer e stillth ere,
wondering if they were going to be next or whe n th e next r oun d wasgoing to
land, if it would be close to the ir place. J ust that, I d on ' t know, it' s
hard f o r me to e xplain, but it wasn 't -- makes you won d er if the next round
is go in g to b e i n you r ba c kya r d a s opposed to , you kn ow, five -- 5 0 0 metres
or, you know, five miles down t he ro ad.
[ ... ]
Q. I'd lik e you to e xpl a in fo r the Court if duri ng th e times th a t you
obser ved the shellin g of Kni n , if yo u sa w a rt ille ry f ir e be ingc on c entra ted
on either what you identify as th e north camp or t he RSKhe adqua rters or th e
Serb camp next to th e UN base.
A. No, I d i dn't.
[ ... ]
Transcript Page 5873
[ ... ]
Q. Th a nk yo u. In t hat sa me paragrap h d escribing t he trip that you took
into the town on that day, you indi ca ted and I wi ll qu o te: "Th erewas
devastation everywhere in Knin. It was obvi ous th at lootin g ha d
Transcript Page 5874
32
taken place. There was clothing and other ite ms lying beneat h thewind ows
of almost every house and apartme nt ."
And I would like to ask you, did th e devastation that youwitnessed on that
day include damage from shelling?
A. Correct.
Q. And based on what you observed, was th is damage f rom shelling
concentrated in any particular area of the to wn?
A. No, it wasn't. It was all ove r the p la ce.
ANNEX46
ICTY, Gotovina et al., IT-060-90, Excerpts from the
testimony of Witness Andrew Brook Leslie, 22 & 23
April 2008, Transcript, pp. 1937, 1939-1940, 1942-1943,
1966-1968, 1972-1973,1992-1993,2015,2046-2047,
2081-2082,2119-2121

35
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
Case Gotovina et al., IT-060-90
Transcripts of witness testimonies
Witness: Andrew Brook Lesli
(Chief of Staff of the UNPROFOR Sector South)
22 April 2008
( ... ]
Transcript page 1937
[ ... ]
Q. Let me ask you qu i ckl y abou t th e de mog raphi cs of t he t own . Had t he si z e
of the pop ul a tion o f Kni n cha nged i n t he per iod sh or t l y p r ecedi n g Op era tion
St orm?
A. Wh e n I first a r ri ved i n Knin in Ma r ch , a nd these are only e s ti ma t es and
n ot me ant t o so un d as i f t hey ' re definitive numbe r s , but the po pul ation of
Kni n wa s p r oba bl y somew he re in t he order of 20 . 000 t o 25 .000 . As t ens i on s
mounte d , and it beca me f a ir ly ob vi ou s t ha t i mmin en t ho s ti l iti es were
loo mi ng , t he p opul a t i on of Kn in had s wol l e n to so mewhere a r oun d 35 . 000 i n
th e d ays i mme d ia t e l y pr ece din g the even ts o f the 4th a nd5 th of Augu st .
Q. Who - - where h a d the p eople who had i ncreased t he size o f Kni n come from?
Who we r e th ose p eo p l e ?
A. I n t he mai n , I b e li ev e th ey wer e t he fam ili e s of tho se who were
co n ce rn e d t hat th e i r v ill ages and to wn s wer e clos e to t he zone or c l o se rto
t h e zo ne o f separation and , t herefore , had a hi gh e r probability of risk . So
t he to wn , imrned i a t ely p rior to t he 4th and 5th of Aug u st , was pop ul ated by
mainl y th e elde r l y , wome n, and ch il dren , as t he vast maj or it y o f f i ghti ngag
e d ma l es ha d be e n es sen t ia lly mob ili s e d a nd de p l oye d into t he zone of
s epa r at i on i n a va r ie t y o f defen s i ve p os i t i ons .
[ ... ]
Transcript page 1939
[ ... ]
36
Q. Now, you 've describ ed t he i ncrease in t he s ize of the civilianpopulation
in Knin in t h e period pr eced i ng Operation Stor m. Did youobse rv e whether any
of the populatio n of Knin had left the a rea in t he days immed iately
pr e cedi ng Sto r m, t hat i s, immediately before August 4th , 1995?
A. The re were s ome e lem e nt s of the local pop ulatio n tha t had left in
ro u gh l y t he we ek p r ior to t he 4th and 5th of August . How many , I don ' t know.
It d id not appear t o mak e a s i zeable r e ducti on in the mass ofp eo p le t hat I
would see in and around the s treets of Knin . We were aware anecdotally that
a va riety of Se rb ian r efu gee s or Serbs f rom Kni n ha dt r ied to get across th e
bo rd e r into th e Serb - co ntro ll ed areas of Bosni a but had been tu r ned ar ound
a nd sen t bac k to Kni n . But t h is is anec dote ; it is not based on ob servati on .
Q . General Leslie, ho w and when did you firs t l earn tha t Ope ration Storm
would take place or wou l d commence?
A. The fi rs t co nf i r med i nd i cation we h ad was at roug h ly 20 min utes after
3 . 00 on th e 4 th of Augu st when the Sector So uth head qu arters r ece i ved an
i ndi cation f r om UNCRO hea dquart ers , our superi or headquarters
Trascript Page 1940
in Zag r eb , that a n a t ta ck b y t he Croat ia n Fo r ces to r ecapt u re the Krajina
was immi n e nt. Over the co ur se of the subsequent hours , t here were many
s u c h r epor t s fr om diffe r ent s ourc es .
[ ... ]
Pages 1940 and 1941 contain information on the beginning of Operation Storm and on
witnesses' raie in the process of emergency recal/ plan
Transcript page 1942
Q. You say con sis t ent sh el l f ire after descri bin g the r ough timi ngthat you
di d. Can yo u also give th e Court any indicati on of the re lati ve intens ity
of that cons i stent she ll f i re?
A. I wou l d say the in te nsi t y was high betw ee n roug hly 5 . 00 in th emorning of
the 4th u ntil approx i mately 7 . 00 in te rms of the t otal number of expl osi ons ,
t hough ther e wou l d be variances between when thoseexplosions o ccurred . So,
i n th e f ir st in i ti a l sa l vo , all the explosions oc curred a lmost a t t he sa me
time. As th e first hour or two wore on , there were the same relat iv e numbe r
of e xplo s ion s over time , bu t itwasn ' t as controlle d .
Q . You i ndic at ed t hat , a t ap proximately 7 . 00 , there was a cha nge i n the
in tensity o f the shell f ire . Can you descr i be for t he Cour t t he nature of
th e c hange that occurred after approximately the first of couple of hours?
A. At approxima tely 7 .00 , or arou nd approximate l y 7.00 , the fire diminis hed
37
mark edly ; and instead o f h aving explosio n s all over the cityof a cons i stent
nature , t h e exp l osions and shel l fire was grouped across specific regions
of t he city which var i ed , whe rei n you ' d h ave a shell detona ting , a minute
or t wo o r three would go b y , an ot her shellde to na ti ng 200 t o 300 me t res awa y
f rom whe r e t he fir st on e went off . That proces s would be repeated several
times. Then you ' d ha ve f ou r, f ive, or six sh ell s lan d ing fa ir ly tight ly
gr ouped toget her . Th is p r ocess would be repeated e ssentia l ly throu gh ou t mo st
of theday at a lessened in te ns it y a s co mpared to wha t h appened between 5. 00
an d
Transcript Page 1943
7 . 00 in th e mor n ing.
Transcript page 1966
[ ... ]
[ ... ]
Q . Did you leave the Sector South headq uarte rs co mpound on the mor ning of
the 5th?
A. I d id .
Q. And for wha t purpose?
A. We had b een asked by a Serbian phys i cian to assist in the eva cuatio n of
approximately 30 to 40 critical patients at t he Kni n hospita l , and I had
volunteered to assemble a t ea m of initially six ve hicles t o proceed to the
hos pital to a ss ist in that evac uati on. Wefirst be ca me aware of th is request
around 7 . 00 , 7. 30 i n the mor ni ng, and
Transcript Page 196 7
we l e f t t he compound about a n h ou r an d a ha lf la ter .
Q. Dur i ng the course of that tr ip fr om the Sector South headquarters to the
hospit al and back , can you t ell the Cour t what , if a nythi ng , you saw or
ex p e ri enced?
A. The journe y was -- took appr oxima tely 15 t o 20 minutes . We s t arted wi th
six ve h i cles. We were -- ini tiall y , my vehicle wa s going to l ead , but at
so me point the Ser bian ambulance eu t in front , I think duri ng on e of the
moments of she l l fi r e. Ther e were two s igni ficant periods of she ll fir e en
rout e . One was in t he a r ea of the t r ain yards be fo re you got to the mai n
tr aff ic circ l e , qu i te c l ose to the ve hi c l es , t o th e exte nt that t hey were
rocked by the b l ast.
The second , whi c h was in th e a r ea of -- o r prior to the nort h Dalmat i an
co rps headquarters , after th e traffic c i rcl e . En ro ute to t he town , the town
appe ared t o be, fr om wha t I could see , essent ial ly deser t ed . There were
dea d along the rou t e , numbering somewhere in the orde r of 15 to 20 scattered
hi t h er and yon , along that main ro ut e , occasi onall y up th e side street.
Th ere was an enormous debri s fiel d al.on g th at route of ba ggage a nd suit
38
cases an d even furni tu re until wegot to the tu rn - o ff which left Knin to the
north and west, at whi ch point the ro ute be came rela tively clear .
Q . You menti o ned seeing dead a lon g t h e r oute to the ho spi t al. Did you see
any bodies or injure d persons upon arrival at the hosp it al?
A. On arrival at the hospita l , t her e were large quant i t ies of dead, men,
women, and children, stacked in the hospit al corr i d o rs in a pil e . A
makeshift room on the back rear floor was bein g us ed as a morgue . The re
Transcript Page 1968
was no power, and the medical staff had departed with the excep tion o f on e
male nurse who had obv iously sta yed there while t he Serb ian p h y sician came
and got us.
There were approximately 30 to
absolutel y critica l co nditi on ,
fighting-age male, a nd -- yeah.
Q. While --
a
40 patients
mix of the
o f whi c h
elderly
25 or so were in
women , occasiona l
JUDGE ORIE: Mr. Tieger, could we ask the witn ess "large qu antities o f dead ,
men, women, and c hildren, stacked i n the h ospital ... " What do I have to
understand approx im ate ly by larg equa nti t i es? Where yo u are sayin g " 30 to 40
patients, 25 in absol u telycriti ca l c ondition," wha t abo ut t he de ad bo d ie s .
THE WITNESS: Sir, it's very diff icu lt to esti mat e. I would say the number
was no lower than 3 0 a nd pro bab ly no higher tha n 50 or 60.
[ ... ]
Transcript page 1972
[ ... ]
Q. And just to be clear on the exchange of poin ts of view, d i d yo udem a nd on
beha lf of UNCRO t hat UNCRO personnel be permitted to l eave the compound?
A . Yes.
Q. And did you explai n for what pur po se UNCRO wanted to lea ve th e comp ound?
A. Yes.
Q. And wh a t was that p urp ose?
A . To ens ur e that t he laws of war were b eing respected , to ens ur e that no
humani ta ri an vio l at i ons were bei ng perp e trat ed , t o allow us access and
visibility as per t he United Nations Securi ty Council resolutions which
granted us such, and I also menti on ed that we were wi lling to accept the
responsibility a nd risk in do in g s o .
Q. Okay. If you recall , what response did you receive to the demand
to leave t h e compo und ?
A. Endless repetiti ons of no.
Q. How l ong did -- f o r how l o ng did t h e ta nk remain there and ho wl ong was
UNCRO personnel prevented from l eaving the camp?
Transcript Page 1973
39
A. We were prevented from leavin g th e camp up unti l the 9th ofAu gust, where
I believe I was one o f the fir st ou tside of t he camp. There h ad been other
minor exceptions, and I was esc orte d by a Capta in o f Marine Lukovic from
Sector South headquar ters out of the area o f operations to take up my new
duties of Chief of Staff UNCRO. The tank remai ned in pla ce for se ve ral
hours. I cannot recallwhen it left. I was not the re when i t was withdr awn .
By then we hadreceived or ders f rom UNCRO te l l ing us that we were to stay in
t he campu ntil a variety of hig her -level discussions were cond uc ted bet ween
UNPF, UNCRO, and the various authorities.
Q. Al though unable t o leave the compound, were you able to hear anyt hing
that was happening outsi de the compo und dur ing th e period of ti me you were
prevented from leaving?
A. Yes . Ther e wer e occasional fl urries of shots , occasiona l grenade
detonation; a modest, very few nu mber of build ing s were i n f l ames; and much
mechanised noise of tanks grindin g by our hea dqua rters to the n orthon t ha t
road; and Croatian forces stre aming int o the town from that road just
outside Sector Sout h headquar t ers.
[ ... ]
Transcript page 1992
[ ... ]
JUDGE ORIE: The n my ne xt qu est i on would be: You descri be d that you saw dead
people when you were on the road to the hospita l . Did you observe anyt hing
which would give a clue to whether t heir status wascivi lia n or militar y?
A. Yes, sir, I did.
JUDGE ORIE : Could you pleas e exp l ain what you obse rved .
A. Ther e were - it was long ago - but I b e li eve tha t th ere were a
Transcript Page 1993
few dead children well, there wer e certainl y so me, very young . There were
women dressed in skir t s . Th ere were figh t ing-aged mal es as well, dressed
with th e sort of uniq ue co ll ect i on o f c l ot hin g tha t t he Serbianm ilitia wore
at that time. There were a few elderly. Most of the dead , though , we r e
essentially shapeless bundles of rags with the occ asional li mb protrud i ng or
other unpleasantness.
JUDGE ORIE: Yes . Do I un dersta nd wer e yo ur answer that you ' re no t ab le to
giv e any mor e prec i se prop ortions of t he ca t egories you justment ion e d ?
A. No, sir, I cannot.
JUDGE ORIE: Then you told us ab out soldiers on the woode n c argo pal lets
behind the tractors. You said tha t you saw , t ogethe r with womena nd elder ly
people , yo u sa w also soldiers . Could you be more precise aswh at soldiers o f
40
what armed forces, i f you are able t o make an y dist incti on i n t h at res pe c t ?
Çould you tell us a b i t more abo ut th esesold ie rs ?
A. Yes, sir, I ca n. St artin g in t he a f t e rno on of t he 4t h , the s o l d i er s were
Serbian soldiers and it started sl owly, thi s colu mn o f veh icl es. But wi thin
a coup l e of hours, it was ver y co n st ant and s t eady where yo u ' d have t ruc ks
carryin g two or thre e soldiers, fi v e or s ix wome n and chil dre n ; follow e d by
a putt-put t , which is th is t rac t o r p ulling t h is woode n c ar go f l a t r a ck , t h a t
mi ght have a ll so l d i e r s; foll owed b y a nor mal tr actor p u lli ng a h ay wagon
that wou ld have all women and c hi ld ren. Soi t was t r u ly a ch aot i c me l a ng e
of pe ople driving b y Sector Sout h h eadquarter s .
[ ... ]
Transcript page 2015
[ ... ]
Q. Le t' s expl o re tha t . So what you ' re sa yi ng i s t ha t Ope r atio n Storm was
co nducte d wi t h a hi gh degr ee o f e xp e r t i se ; i s that rig ht?
A. I, as a militar y professional, would ag r e e that c erta in e le ment s of
Operati on Storm were conducted wi th a high d egree of exper tise . If the a im
was t o e n sure that t h e local p op ulatio n was c l ea n se d from th e r e gi on.
[ ... ]
23 April 2008
Transcript page 2046
[ ... ]
Q. Well, l et us go t o this par t i c u la r tape an d th is is a BBC t a p e and as we
s e e it is 7. 04 o n the mornin g of t he 4th, Lond on t im e whi c h of c ourse would
b e 8 .00 a .m. Zagr e b / Kn i n tim e?
A. Okay.
MR. KEHOE: And we c o u l d play this.
[Video tap e played)
Transcript Page 2047
"Sh ort ti me a go we s po ke to t he UNPROFOR spokes ma n in Knin , Li e ut enant
Col one l Andrew Les li e , h e d escr i be d ho w t h e o f f en s i ve t h e r ebe gan .
"At 0500 this rno r ning , Kni n, the ca pita l of t h e Kraj i n a was hi t by
a rtil l er y a nd roc ke t s hel l s . I t was da rk at tha t t i rne , of co ur s e , t he
ce nt e r o r t he ma i n poi n t of i mpa ct app eare d t o be th e ce nt er of Knin , after
300 deton a ti on s we ' ve l ost co unt . Repo r t s f r om our b a t ta l ions in di ca t e tha t
41
essentially every large urban center in the Krajina has been hit by shell
fire, starting between 5 and 5. 30. As well t he Croats have launched their
strikes on the town of Gracac. There's a lot of shell fire. There has not
been yet a lot of movement into the zone, so we don't really have a clear
picture on what the Croatian ground forces are doing now but they certain l y
pounded the Serbian communities
"There's two or three pillars of fire and smoke in the centre of Knin. We
unfortunately had some of our people still sleeping downtown when this
happened and civilians mostly, and we s e nt our armoured vehicles to
collect them. The term controlled "chaos," from our view, applies. The
damage? It is very hard to assess, I mean, there's houses that are
destroyed, there's craters in the roads, it is not terr i bly pleasant."
[ ... ]
Transcript page 2081
[ ... ]
Q. Let me stay with just this particular incident.
I mean, you testified for us that you brought patients to the UN?
A. Yes.
Q. Were they soldiers?
A. I don't know. Most of them were -- hmm. Most of them were in nostate to
identify their profession. The ambulatory ones, no. To the best of my
recollection and i t has been a long time, I don' t believe any of the
ambulatory patients were soldiers. Sorne of those who were unconscious might
have been.
Q. So I mean those indi v i duals that might have been you were ta king them
from a hospital and bringing them to the UN compound?
A. That's correct.
Q. Why were you doing that, sir?
A. We had been approached that morning by a Serbian doctor whoworked at the
hospital, and he had indicated tha t there was no power, there was no light,
no supplies, and essentially that the staff had left, and he and a male
nurse were those that remained. He had left the male
Transcript Page 2082
nurse at the hospital. He came to our compound to ask for assistance. As the
attending physician to move his patients to Sector South militaryfacilities
and the area commander made the decision to -- to go ahead.
Q. Was it within the UN mandate to move soldiers in any fashion?
A. Sir, I have not actually stated that these personnel were soldiers. Have
I said that I don't know if any were soldiers.
42
[ ... ]
Transcript page 2119
Q. Secondly, the Augus t 7th report from Mr. Sto l tenberg to the Secreta ry -
General that was referred to a few moments ago, in particu larth e porti on on
page 2 , involving a discussion wi th Mr. Granic, in that
Transcript Page 2120
report as pointed out to you by the Defe nc e, Mr. Gran ic wa s pressed to
ex plain the shelling of civilian areas in Kni n.
He said that most of the civilia ns had alread y fl ed th e citybefore it was
she ll ed. Based on your observations of the attack on Knin on the 4th of
August, was that accurate or inaccurate?
A. Sir, based on my observations of the regi on of Knin, the city of Knin ,
his observation is inaccurate.
Q. Mr. Granic also said there had b een thre e mili tary barra cks in Knin. Did
you observe that the shelling of Knin was di re cted a t onl y the t h ree
military barracks in Knin?
A. No, sir.
Transcript page 2121
Q. Now,
reflected
you have
either a
[ ... ]
[ ... ]
told the Court that
deliberat e attempt
the shelli ng that
to she l l civilian
you observed
structures and
areas , or the indiscr i minate shelling of s u ch s t ructures and areas?
A. Yes.
[ ... ]
ANNEX47
ICTY, Gotovina et al., IT-060-90, Excerpts from the
testimony of Witness Marija Vecerina, 17 July 2008,
Transcript, pp. 6716-6722, 6741

45
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
Case Gotovina et al., IT-060-90
Transcript Page 6716
Transcripts of witness testimonies
Witness: Marija Vecerina
17 July 2008
[ ... ]
Marija Vecerina is a Croatian citize n of Serb ethnicity who liv ed in t he
municipali ty of Obrovac for all her life until Operation Storm. On 5 August 1995, she
left the mountains where she was with her family,
Transcript Page 6717
two daughters, one son, and two other fema le rela tiv es . On the way, they
picked up two young men . At that t ime, there wer e theref ore eight in the
car; five women and three men.
At the v illage of Ocestovo, in the Knin municipality, the car was shot at, and se veral
passengers, including the witness's son, were wou nded. Croatian army
soldiers surrounded the car , for ced thepasseng er s to lie fa ce down on the
road , searched them, and took theirbelongings . Th e group was taken to the
basement of a house nearby .
The next morning, Croatian soldiers took five young men out of the base ment
at gunpoint, including the thr ee young men that were in the ca r with the
witness. Several mi nutes afte r t he young men were takenaway, she heard a
burst of gun-fire. Years later, Ms. Vecerina learnedthat her son's body
had been found in the Knin cemetery. Later, on the 6th of Aug u st, the group
in the basem ent , includingthe five wome n from the witness's gr oup, were
taken towards an UN camp inKnin. Croatian policemen at the e ntrance to
Knin directed them t o theKn in sec on dary school. Ms. Vecerina spent three
days there.
46
On 9 August 1995,shewastransportedtoZadartoasmallfa cilit y, before bei ng
transferred again t o a larger sports hall inZadar. All these facilities
were guarded by policemen. On 16 September 1995, th e witness left for Serbia
on theorganised con voy from Knin .
This concludes my summary, You r Honou rs.
Transcript page 6718
[ ... ]
First of all, the sch o ol in Knin. You said in you r statem entt h at tha t
s c hool was guarded by policemen. My questio n for is : Were youa ll owed t o
leave the school while you were there?
A. No.
Q. And were any reasons given t o you as to why yo u couldn' t leave?
A. The re asons were t h at we we r e no t free. They were gua rding us.
Transcript Page 6719
We couldn't go anywhe re .
Transcript Page 6720
[ ... ]
Q. Ms. Vecerina, I no w want to t ur n my attent i on to the t hree men
Transcript Page 6721
that were in your group.
So there was your son Stevo and the t wo other young men you picke d up Ste vo
Baljak and Mile Gnjat ovic. In your statement, inp aragraph 14 , you
me ntion e d t hat five men, t h e three fr om your gro up Ij u st mentione d and two
more, Djuro Macak and Momcilo Tisma were takenfr om the base ment .
Is th a t ac curate?
A. Yes, t hat ' s correct . It ' s ju st th at we met up on t h e way . Stevan
Baljak and t h e n c l oser to Zegar i, Mir o Gnjat ovic an d Mi l e Gnjatov i c took my
son awa y to the Nadvo de hamlet to find a vehicle. Andthey f ound a vehic le
there, a re d Lada, v ehicle, and we al l got int o tha tcar, all of us did, and
we set ou t to wa rds - - we ll, we did n ' t kn ow th eroad pr ec i se l y . I t was
47
already getting dark, when we encountered t he Croa tian soldiers in Ocest ovo
and they started firi n g at the car t here, and th e cars didn' t h ave the
lights on.
Then we stopped and the soldiers gat hered arou nd the car. Th ey were
masked. And they were insulting us , cursing u s, they were sa yi ng, Get out
of the car, we will kill you all. We came out. The y said tous , Lie do wn ,
we will kill you all .
And they threw our things around, th ey went th rou gh our poc ke t s, found s ome
money in my son's pocket, and then he said, Take i t all, j ust do n't kill me .
Q. Thank you. When the group of five young men were taken away fr omthe
basement, you said i n your stateme nt that se v eral minutes l ater, youhear d a
burst of gun-fire.
Transcript Page 6722
Did you actually see what happened ?
A. I didn't see it . I went wit h hi m to see the car, and how t hey
would get him in. They said that t hose who were wounded would go to the
h os pital a nd th e soldiers would go to pri so n. But th ey turned me back .
They told me not to go, and that t he y would ki ll me. So I went back t othe
cellar and a few minutes later, I co uld hear s hot s. Aft e r that, perhaps a
few more minutes after the shooting washe ard , th ey brought two women
there. I thi nk t h at o n e of t hem waswounded , and there was also a man, and
we suspected that th ey had fireda t t hem, at the car, and the y killed t he
driver i n the car, this womanwho wa s wounded had told us.
Q. And a p art from these five young men t h at were taken away , i n c ludin g
your son, were there any other young men in t ha t b asement ?
A. When they brough t us to the cel lar, when they c aptur ed u s, wefo u nd
Momc il o Tisma a nd Dj u ro Maca k th ere. Two young men were t he re . Th ere were
a l so some older men and women , about 13 of them were th er e , 13o r 14, I' m
not sure exactly how many.
Q. I just want t o ma ke s ure I comp letely un derstand . So in add i tion t o
the three me n wit h you and these two that .
48
You've just mention ed , those fi v e men, all of th em were t a kenou tside. We r e
there any other young men in that ba sement t ha t wer e not t a ke n o utside ?
A. No, there were n o young men.
Q. Thank you.
Transcript Page 6741
[ ... ]
Q. Yo u described h ow you spent s ome time i n th e cell a r of th e hous eaf t e r
you l eft the car and t hat then you were dir ecte d t o Kni n , t o t h e s c h oo l
t her e.
A. Yes, yes.
Q. And I will ask y o u this. You s aid you di dn ' t get an y kind ofes cor t t o
the s c h o ol fr om th e Cro ati a n a u t h ori ti es . I s t h at co r rect ?
A. No t to the sch ool , but to Kni n. The sc h oo l i s a littl e b i t f arth e r
away. Po licemen wai t ed for us th ere . Ther e wer e many o f t h em, and th e y
ask e d us whe re we wer e go ing an d we said t h a t we were go i ng tot he
i nt e r n at i o n al ca mp or bas e . An d t he y said , Th ere i s n o camp , sto pt h ere or
we will kill all o f yo u, and t h e y pr ovoked u s t h er e, and t h en th e y s a id, Go
to t he Knin secondar y school cent re.
[ ... ]
ANNEX48
ICTY, Gotovina et al., IT-060-90, Excerpts from the
testimony of Witness Mile Durié, 12 June 2008,
Transcript, pp. 4839-4841, 4843-4844

51
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
Case Gotovina et al., IT-060-90
Transcript Page 4839
MR. HEDARALY:
Transcripts of witness testimonies
Witness: Mile Djuric
12 June 2008
[ ... ]
[ ... ]
Mile Djuric was a Croatian citizen of Serb ethni city who lived with his
family in the village of Plavno in the hamlet ofDjurici until August 1995. He spent
his summers at a house up in the surrounding hillsin order to tend to his
sheep and prepare wood for the winter. From thisvantage point in 1995, he
observed the shelling of the Plavno area during
Transcript Page 4840
the first days of Operation Storm.
[ ... ]
As he realised that his family house had been put on fire, he de cided to go
back to Djurici. He entered the neighbour's ba ckyard andwatched the events
Djuric saw three soldiers with camouflage uniforms and black masksstanding
in the backyard of his house, together with his grandmother andhis father.
The witness's father, Sava Djuric, was wearing civil ia n clotheson that
day. He was disabled and could only walk very slowly because ofan accident
that had occurred when he was a child. The witness statesseeing that one
of the soldiers was holding his grandmother and told theother two soldiers
to throw the man into the fire. To this, the
Transcript Page 4841
grandmother protested that there was no need to kill her son, since theyhad
already burned the house, but the soldier holding her instructed the
52
others: "I am taking the grandrnother to the end of the village , and b ythe
tirne she cornes back, everything will be burned. Throw hi rn in the fire."
After the grandrnother was taken away, Mile Djur ic witnessed the tw o
rernaining soldiers throwing his fa th er in the b u rning wo rks hop andlocking
the door.
The witness fled to his surnrner house. On the way, he carne acr o ssa
different group of soldiers wearing the sarne camouflage unifor rn whostarted
shooting at hirn. He escaped and fin ally rnanaged to reach thesu rnrner h ouse.
The next rnorning, the witness lef t for Serbia tog etherwith two friends. He
arrived in Belgrade about thre e weeks lat er , at thee nd of Augus t 1995 , and
has lived there ever since.
This concludes rny surnrnary, Your Hono urs.
Transcript page 4843
[ ... ]
Q. Mr. Djuri c , I want to as k yo u a few questions now with respect toyour
father, Sava Djuric. Was your father a rnernber of the arrn y of th eRSK?
A. No. He was han dicapped and he was not in the army. He did n' t e v en
serve in th e arrny as a conscript. He was not capa ble . He was handicapped.
Q. And can you describe very briefly how it i s that he was han dicapped?
How did he becorne h and icapped?
A. He was unfit. He could not wal k pr ope rl y , even since hisc hildh ood ,
a nd we used t o sa y that it ' s because of the cold water . But
Transcript Page 4844
as he grew older, it was more an d more difficul t , and his legs just could
n ot support hirn. So he did n ot rnov e , h e did no t venture far away fro rn the
house.
[ ... ]
ANNEX49
ICTY, Gotovina et al., IT-060-90, Excerpts from the
testimony of Protected Witness P-136, 13 & 14 March
2008, Transcript, pp. 643-44, 646-47, 665-66, 668, 673-
74, 676-77, 692-93, 747-48, 777-80, 790-91, 800,803

55
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia {ICTY)
Case Gotovina et al., IT-060-90
Transe ri pts of witness testimonies
Witness: Protected Witness 136
13&14 March 2008
13 March 2008
Page 643
Q. Witness, can you -- do you recognise this list?
A. Yes . I made it.
Q. Can you explain to Their Honours what it is about.
A. These are persans who were killed and buried at the Knin
Page 644
cemetery. I assume since I can see the names of persans of this list who
were killed in Grubori and Baraci from the village of Basic that the list
was compiled sometime la ter in August . I took stock of all the lines of
graves and the names of people there who were buried there. A total of 1 7
in the first row, five unidentified. In the second row a total of 45, 35
unidentified, and so on and so forth . I do have to say one thing these
figures that I can see on the margin are slightl y confusing. I tried to add
up and see how many people had been killed . I know the re were another two
locations at the Knin cemetery, therefore, I assume that a page is missing
that should accompany this list. So that's as to the calculations here on
the margin of this page. I can't say what that's in reference to. I suppose
I was trying to add up the separate figures for these three different
locations within the Knin cemetery.
Q. And I see that in between the names there are a few NNs. Can youexplain
what these NNs mean ?
A. I put the list togeth er by walking from grave to gr av e, from cross to
cross, in a manner of speaking, and I tried to observe how many
unidentified bodies were buried between the individual graves.
56
Q. And while that' s being done, when did you go to see the cemetery in
Knin, the time, the occasion you wrote down these names?
A. I went to the cemetery several times. Once because there was lady whose
husband had been killed and she was on her way to the cemetery accompanied
by a security official. However, she couldn't locate the grave, so I went
with her to give her a hand. I found it in a different place within the
Knin cemetery . There was this other time that I went with one from the
press office, an official. However, we were turned away because there was a
burial underway. Although we were at a distance of no more than a hundred
metres, one could still sense the stench of decomposing bodies. I did go
another two or three times. I can't say exactly. Once I was there with my
station commander who was a a Russian and the deputy chief of sector of
the UN, the chief of the Sector South civilian police who was a Dane.
Q. Thank you, witness. Now, looking at the screen in front of you, 25 do
you recognise this list?
Page 646
A. Yes. Well, the list that we're looking at is the first list that the
Croatian police provided to the UN members.
Page 647
Q. You told us you received the list from the Croatian authorities. Do you
recall who it was from the Croatian authorities who gave the list?
A. I can' t say exactly now whether i t was in the station commander' s
office, the Knin station commander' s office, or Cedo Remanie or Zvonko
Gambiroza, but I'm 100 per cent certain about one thing. The list
originated from the Croatian police and I have to say I was quite surprised
at the time that we were now receiving a list of those killed.
Page 665
Q. But the information that the United Nations was collecting a list for
evacuation was disseminated to the civilian population in Knin, wasn't it?
Page 666
A. It was communicated to the United Nations personnel, civilianpersonnel.
57
Q. And the civilian personnel then went and told their families in the
town, didn't they?
A. It's possible, but I don't know that for a fact.
Q. Well, ma' am that led to a building up of fear within the civilian
population in Knin did it not?
A. There are many elements why there was this build-up of fear in Knin. I
worked in the Vrlika area, and when all the nine UN stations were shut
down, when the Vrlika station was shut down, the very fact that the UN was
withdrawing in a way it frightened the people from Vrlika. Cetina had been
shelled several times before Operation Storm. People couldn't go out into
the field to harvest their crops and that is why so-called harvest teams
were set up. I was a member of one such team, and we were supposed to make
people relax a little bit and go out and harvest their crops because their
li velihood depended on that. Their survi val depended on that. So this
affected the people there. This is what also made them be afraid. I know
that because I worked in that area .
Page 668
Q. Let us move to the days prior to Operation Storm. In your witness
statement, you noted that people were leaving Knin in buses, full buses,
ten days prior to the attack. Is that right?
A. That's right, but it was mothers with small children who were leaving.
If I had small children at the time I would not have stayed there for a
single day, because conditions for small children were awful. There was no
electricity, no food. It was impossible to get proper infant food at that
time. And electricity, there was no electricity for well-known reasons.
Page 673
Q. Well, that's in fact that being that evacuation lists had beenprepared
for two weeks. That' s what your boyfriend told you on August the 4th of
1995 at about 1500 hours, didn't he?
A. No, that's not what he told me at 3.00 on the 4th of August. At 3.00 on
the 4th of August he begged me to leave the compound. The shells were
falling all around us. We were not talking about evacuation lists. I don't
58
know what means he was going to use for the two of us to escape, on foot,
on a tractor. I don't know. I didn't check.
Page 674
Q. But as far as you do know, there were elements of the Republic of Serb
Krajina that were preparing evacuation lists to evacuate Knin, and family
members of these units that lived in Knin. That's what he toldyou, didn't
he?
A. The relatives that I was living with were not on the evacuationlist. My
friends, my girlfriends, were not on the evacuation list, which doesn' t
mean that no one was on these evacuation lists. I'm just tellingyou what
privileged family members were. If indeed the lists everexisted. This was
a very small unit, as I said. Did he say this to holdme back? Did he say
this to calm me down? Did the list exist or not? I don't know but it gave
me some sort of a feeling of safety and made me stay.
Page 676
Q. You noted in your direct examination that you wanted to stay onbecause
you were afraid that the UN would hire someone else; is thatright?
A. Yes, that's r i ght. My understanding was that if any of us left, we would
no longer know what was going on. We weren't really conscious
Page 677
at the time what was going on throughout the Kraj ina . I didn' t know if
there was anyone left in the town itself, were we the only survivinggroup.
I didn't know and I wanted to know what was going on.
Q. Well, did you have some doubt that some other group of people could
interpret exactly to the UN what was going on?
A. We were told specifically about the four of us, the four of us from the
UN civilian police. We were told at a meeting that should we refuse to go
on translating they would hire translators from Sibenik, which did, as a
matter of fact, happen within a couple of days. There weren't enough of us
to go around doing the interpretation, so some extra interpreters from
Sibenik were hired.
59
Q. So you were concerned that Croats from Sibenik would be brought in to
translate. Was that your concern?
A. Croats from Sibenik were in fact brought in . I remember the day they
were. When I addressed them, I was told to explain their duties to them . I
said, "One thing you should know is that you' 11 be coming across dead
bodies." One of the interpreters then said, "That is impossib l e Operation
Storm has now been concluded . There are no more dead people lying around."
Several days later that same interpreter came back tome to confirm that he
had indeed seen dead bodies.
Page 692
Q. That Knin didn't seem to have suffered great damage . Isn't thatright?
A. Well, to tell you the truth, you're running and the shells are falling
all around you. You don't have an opportunity to notice many
Page 693
things. I saw the destroyed house, the damage to the outpatient clinic, and
I saw a house. There was a big hole in it. It was right there where Iran
into a shelter. I can' t recall any other details as I ran there and the
shells were falling all around me .
Q. You mentioned the outpatient clinic. Did you just mention theoutpatient
clinic? That facility was also used by the army of Republic of Serb
Krajina, wasn't it?
A. It was an outpatient clin ic. I know that a s I ran I saw a civilian ma n
injured . He had an injury to his arm. He was bleeding and he was running
towards this outpatient clinic.
Q . And you told him that there was nobody in the clinic because you kn ew
the army of the Republ i c of Serb Kraj ina wa s using it as a milita r y
facility; right?
A. I told you that I didn't know what facilities were used by the army. As
Iran I saw this outpatient clinic . I saw that the windows had been broken,
that there was damage to th e building, and I warned this man, telling h i m
that probably there was nobody there and there was no need for him to run
in that direction, all bloody as he was.
60
14 March 2008
Page 747
Q. Now, ma•am, this particular incident -- this particular incident that
you went to on the 4th of September, did you actually do the interviewing
of the person involved in this?
A. I don't understand what interview you•re talking about. If we're talking
about Sava Babic, I saw her dead . I never saw her alive.
Q. Did you follow what happened to that case after you received this
Page 748
information and gave it to the civilian police?
A. You're talking about the killed Sava Babic in the village of Mokro Polje
in the hamlet of Babici. It was the most horrible scene I ever saw. I know
that a day or two before that a patrol visited her and she complained that
she had been mistreated by Croatian soldiers, that they had taken out her
Fico car out of the garage, and she asked members of the civilian police to
park the car once again. When we came two days later, we found the woman
killed in the most horrifie way anyone could be killed. She was lying -- I
apologise.
She was in a half-lying position in the car, in the driver's seat, with a
bulletin her head, and her whole brain had fallen out on the seat next to
her .
Page 777
Q. That gives a clear picture, if I may say so, of the numbers of people,
but this was a project set up by General Forand ; is that right?
A. In our -- in the previous visit to the village of Plavno the people were
afraid and they said that 11 people had already been killedin the village
and they had buried them between the houses because they were frightened,
and they said that they wanted to seek shelter at the UN base. I passed
this on at -- to the UN base, and whethe r it was General Forand or someone
below him that made this decision, but it was decided that we should try
and transport the people who wanted to seek shelter on that day.
61
Page 778
Q. It' s about the registration that I 'm going to ask you some questions
now. That was registration with which authority?
A. They were told that UN staff would talk to . the Croatian authorities for
these people who remained to be registered, I assume with the Croatian
police, to be received some ID documents. That was the promise they was
given -- the promise they were given, that they would be registered with
the Croatian authorities.
Q. Soit seems although the group from the UN went there on that day, the
actual mission of taking the people to the UN camp was not
Page 779
achieved.
A. Yes. I have to admit that the whole situation disturbed me, because I
saw how terrified the people were. I saw that the so-called cleansing of
the village had started, Zaturc [phoen] and Torbice, to the left of Plavno,
and I realised that the real cleansing was only beginning, and I expected
other incidents, and I was sorry and, unfortunately, there were other
incidents. The incident in Grubori I occurred just a couple of days later
and I am really sorry that the people who had been ready to move had they
had been taken to the UN camp, the incident in Grubori would have been
avoided. I was seriously disturbed when I realised that they would be left
there without protection and I didn't wish to interpret. It was my
colleague who took over.
Q. So General Forand's plan for that day was not followed through? A. No,
it wasn't, because it was quite easy to persuade old people not to leave
their homes, that they should keep their homes, that they would be
protected, and they gave them some hope that they could stay where they
were, because nobody really wanted to abandon their homes. They were
elderly people.
Q. The purpose was to register them as individuals in the area with the
police. That was the purpose, was it, that caused them to be left there?
A. Yes. The representati ve of ci vil affairs explained to them that they
would contact the Croatian authorities, the Croatian police, and as a
result they would be given protection, and the nurnber of people
62
Page 780
remaining would be registered, and through this registration they would be
given protection, and they would receive ID documents, and that was what
was promised to them.
Page 790
Q. This brings me to the incident in Grubori which you mention in your 1996
statement at page 11. That's the 7th paragraph where you say that you were
in the village of Grubori on the 26th of August; is that
Page 791
correct?
A. Yes. It's correct that I went to Grubori, but it was one day after the
incident, not on the day when the incident took place.
Q. You said that were accompanying UN personnel. I don't want to now list
them, but that you were not allowed to enter the village. You were stopped
by Croatian soldiers or the police; is that correct?
A. Yes. We were stopped at the check-point at the entrance to the village.
we were not allowed to enter the village because they were in the process
of removing the bodies from the village of Grubori.
Page 800
Q. Moving to the second issue. This is again yesterday's transcript, page
76, lines 19 to 24, and I read the answer of the witness to the issue of
whether Knin suffered great damage. The witness said:
"Well, to tell you the truth, you are running and the shells are falling
all around you. You don't have an opportunity to notice many things. I saw
the destroyed house, the damage to the outpatient clinic, and I saw house . "
In relation to this damaged house or destroyed house, do you remember prior
to the start of Operation Storm whether there was any military presence in
or around of that house, if you know?
63
A. I know that it was a civilian house, because that is where I waited for
the UN civil police patrol to corne and pick me up every morning. Soit was
a civilian house .
Page 803
Q. New, I would like to ask you a couple of questions about thisdocument.
It says, and I quote: "The death is believed to have occurred during
military attack." Since you were the interpreter at that time, do you
recall what was actually said and by whom it was said in explaining that
situation?
A. I remember that as there was smoke in the village, that is what brought
us to the village. We were looking around the village, and I think it was
one of the Indonesian soldiers who cried out that he had found something.
We came there. The body was covered wi th a blanket and there was stones
around it. People were hesitant to lift the blanket. When finally the
blanket was removed we saw this horrifie scene . No one approached close
enough to establish the cause of death, because the scene was dreadful.Half
of the body had been eaten up by animals.
I don't know what happened later on. I assume that the Croatian police was
informed about this. The body was net regularly buried, but two elderly men
from a neighbouring village took the body and threw it into a septic tank
which her son had dug . They were very old. They couldn't carry her. They
covered the body with earth. And the next time I came, a part of the skirt
of that woman was there. So she wasn't buried in the cemetery, and I don't
know what the wounds were, how they were inflicted .

ANNEX50
ICTY, Gotovina et al., IT-060-90, Excerpts from the
testimony of Protected Witness P-054, 14 May 2008,
Transcript, pp. 2813-14, 2819-21

67
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
Case Gotovina et al., IT-060-90
Transcripts of witness testimonies
Witness: Protected Witness P-054
14 May 2008
Page 2813
Q. Okay. With respect to the refugees that were coming from Strmica, were
you aware of military activity that was taking place inStrmica at the end
of July and beginning of August 1995?
A. No, I wasn' t aware of it. I just know that the refugees fled when
Strmica was shelled . These people then came to Knin, and they told us about
how they had been shelled and they couldn' t stay there. And because the
negotiations with the Croatian government was under way, we were all hoping
that things would normalise and that they would be able to return, which is
why they remained in Knin throughout until they fled Knin together with
everyone else.
Q. These people from Strmica, did they tell that you they had been
evacuated out of Strmica?
A. No. They would left on their own. Who would ha v e evacuated
Page 2814
them? At this time, people had their own means of transportation, so they
just decided to leave and seek shelter. That's it.
Page 2819
Q. Were you aware of buses that were taking people from Knin to Belgrade in
the days before Operation Storm?
A. No. And I believe, if there were any, there were very few, if some
people did want to leave, because I know that I tried a couple of times to
obtain a permit to travel, and this was very difficult. So, although I was
68
at a more advantageous position because of my work, I wasn•t even able to
obtain these permits, and only once was I able to do so. I travelled for
four days in order to get resources or materials for my work.
So I don't believe that any buses had corne from Serbia. I don't think any
bus had corne from Serbia because I would have noticed it, and I
Page 2820
did not notice that buses came from Serbia to transport people out of
there.
You can see this. You could see this in convoys. You could see the bus
plates, and you could tell where they were from .
Q. Okay. Regardless of where the buses actually came from, the question is:
Were people leaving Knin in buses that were headed to Belgrade, in the days
prior to Operation Storm?
A. No. I don•t think -- well, maybe a car or two left, but no buses, except
for the regular bus line. I think there were three buses; one leaving from
Benkovac, one from Knin, and I don't know where the third went from. There
were three buses leaving, going from Krajina to Serbia. These were regular
bus -- this was regular bus service .
Q. Okay. And just to follow up with you, you talked about being unable to
obtain a permit to travel. Who was responsible for issuing permits to
travel, and why did you -- let me ask that question first.
A. The permits could be obtained through a commission. This was at the
medical -- at the health centre. There was a commission sitting there, and
mainly this is where you got it from. And as for people who were involved
in politics, I don't know how they could obtain these; but regular people
could not obtain these permits, only if they had some strong grounds,
medical or otherwise. So, practically, we were in a ghetto. We could not
move anywhere out of Krajina.
Page 2821
JUDGE ORIE: Yes. I have one additional question.
Those people who were boarding the regular buses, would they need a permit
as well to travel, or was a ticket sufficient?
69
THE WITNESS: [Interpretation] No . They also had to have a permit; and who
issued those, I couldn' t tell you. These were students, pupils because
everyone was entitled to education. So the students were not stopped from
going away and studying, because there was always this belief that the
international forces were there, that they would provide and do the role
that they were supposed to do, so that schooling could go own.

ANNEX51
ICTY, Gotovina et al., IT-060-90, Excerpts from the
testimony of Protected Witness P-056, 26 May 2008,
Transcript, pp. 3532-33, 3546

73
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia {ICTY)
Case Gotovina et al., IT-060-90
Transcripts of witness testimonies
Witness: Protected Witness P-056
23 May 2008
Page 3532
MS. GUSTAFSON: I 'd like ta start wi th reading a brief summary of the
witness's Rule 92 ter statem e nt .
MS. GUSTAFSON: (redacted)
(redacted)
Prior ta Operation Storm, aside from elde r ly males and a few men workingin
essential civilian posts, the population of Knin was predominantly made up
of women and children. Most military-aged males were at the front line.
Witness 56 descr i bed the 3rd of August, 1995, as a normal da y in Knin. On
the 4th of August, 1995, Witness 56 was woken by the sound of explosions at
5.00 a.m. After approximately half an hour, he made his
(redacted)
(redacted)
shelled. During the day, Witness 56 observed shells falling in Knin aswell
as shelling damage.
During the night of 4th Augu st, 1995, and the early hours of 5th August,
Witness 56 trav e lled from Knin to Benkovac and back toward s Kn i n.
Page 3533
In Benkovac, he saw several houses on fire and columns of people moving in
the direction o f Kistanje. On the way back ta Knin, he stopped at t he
v i llages of Kistanj e and Dj evrske which wer e vi r tually empty . Wi tness 56
was told by people there that those villages had been shelled. Witness 56
was notable ta reenter Knin in the early morning of 5th August because the
74
road was blocked by vehicles going in the opposite direction. He was forced
to follow the convoy leading towards Otric . He eventually reached Bosanski
Petrovac at approximately 1900 hours on the 5th of August of, 1995 . On
about 7th or 8th August, 1995, while he was in Bosanski Petrovac, Witness
56 saw evidence of the convoy being bombed as it was moving towards
Bravsko.
That concludes the summary, Your Honour.
Page 3546
Q. And in your statements and in your first statement at page 9 and in
paragraph 35 of your 2007 statement, you described visiting a location
where the convoy had been bombed on the road from Petrovac to Bravsko on
about the 7th or 8th of August and you described that you saw two trucks
and several cars that had been hit. Were any of these vehicles that had
been hit military vehicles, as far as you could tell?
A. No .
26 May 2008
Closed session
ANNEX52
District Court in Pozarevac, Serbia, Minutes of the
witness hearing of Mirko Mrkobrad, dated 13 March
1997

77
Kri.14 /97
MINUTES ON WITNESS HEARING
Taken on 13 March 1997 before the investigating magistrate of the District Court in
Pozarevac in the criminal case against ......... for the criminal act punishable under
Article ...... of the Cri minai Code
lnvestigating Magistrate
Vukasin Stanisavljevic
Court Recorder
Dragisa Jovanovic
Witness
Mirko Mrkobrad
The hearing was also attended by:
Public Prosecutor
Defendant
Defence Counsel
The Court rose at ......... .
The witness was warned that he was bound to tell the truth and that he should not hold
anything back; he was also warned against the consequences of giving false evidence and
that he should not respond to certain questions if he would thereby embarrass himself or
any next of kin seriously or cause damage or be prosecuted as a result of it (Article 229 of
the Criminal Procedure Code), so he replied to the general questions as follows:
1. Family and given names:
2. Father's name:
3. Occupation:
4. Address:
5. Place of birth:
6. Date of birth:
Mrkobrad, Mirko
Petar
detective inspector
temporarily resident of the village of Lucica , near Pozarevac
Karlovac
1961
7. Relationship to the defendant or injured party: ................... .
Asked to state what he knew about the case, the witness declared:
Ever since I was born until July 1991, I lived in Karlovac. After that , I lived until 8
August 1995 in the Crevarska Strana, in the municipality of Vrgin Most where my
parents had built a summer house. On that date, due to the operation conducted by the
Croatian army, we had to leave the place of our residence, namely, my parents, my wife
and I. My parents headed in a convoy for Bosnia, while I remained on a battle position
near the place called Tusilovacki Cerovac , in the municipality of Krnjak, in the territory
of the then Republic of Serbian Krajina.
78
At the beginning of August 1995, I think it was a Sunday, 8 August 1995 I was in a
refugee convoy. I was personally acquainted with a very few people from that convoy. I
only knew the Dokmanovic family. When the convoy reached the so-called Ravno Rasce ,
the Croatian army staged its attack. The convoy was eut off from its left flank so that it
was halved. I found myself in the other part of the convoy heading for Glina. Before the
Croatian army attacked us, we had been bombarded by the artillery. The shelling lasted
for some ten minutes. During the shelling, the Zastava truck owned by Vojko Madjericic
from Krnjak, took a direct hit. The truck burst into flames, because there was some fuel
loaded onto it. I can't tell whether there were any people in it, but I know that the burning
vehicle prevented the convoy from moving forward to Bosnia. Since the shelling
continued , there were a number of dead and wounded people in the convoy I was in,
meaning the severed part of it. l can't be more specific about the dead and wounded , but
my wild guess was that there were at least 30 dead and many more wounded people. Ali
this happened before we saw the Croatian army. When the shelling stopped , we could see
a unit of the Croatian army of approximately 50 soldiers wearing sub-machine guns,
rocket launchers and stingers. Part of the convoy in front of the burning vehicle continued
its flight to Bosnia and the part of it I was in, was in disarray, turning back to Glina . The
Croatian soldiers used machineguns and mortars to fire upon this part of the convo y.
People were falling down as if they had been mowed down. lt was hard to tell the number
of dead and wounded.
Regarding the Dokmanovic family that was in the convo y, and there were four of them in
ail, namely, Milan Dokmanovic, who used to live in Karlovac, his wife Ljubica and two
underage children, I am not aware if any of them died on that occasion . I only saw Milan
at a collective centre in Sisak, five or six days later. However , I didn't speak to him then
and, later on. I heard that he was probably exchanged , but I don't know his current
whereabouts.
When the convoy managed to get to Glina, which was some 15 kilometres awa y from
Ravno Rasce, the Croatian army had already taken control of Glin a. The convo y was
allowed to get into Glina and, when it was in the centre of the town , it was surround ed
from ail sides by the Croatian army. I came to the conclusion that they had alread y been
in the town when the convoy entered. From the position I was on, roundabout near the
outpatient hospital in Glina, I estimated that there were some 600 refugees, women and
children, mainly civilians and a very small number of uniformed people. Ali of a sudden ,
a small-arms fire was opened at them. People were falling down like flies. My wild guess
was that about 150 people were killed. Sorne individuals from the refugee column fired
back, but at random. After 10 to 15 minutes , the shooting stopped and the Croatian
soldiers appeared. There were some wounded people lying around. A number of Croatian
soldiers shot them at close range into the head. They mostly used pistols. I can't tell how
many persons were killed or wounded . At the moment when the attack began , I was on
the periphery of the convoy. I had nowhere to run to. That was what saved my life,
because those killed were, as a rule , the ones to whom the Croatian soldiers cam e first.
Those of us who were somewhat farther had greater chances of staying al ive. I witnessed
to some Croatian soldiers lining up some refugees and pointing guns to them at close
range and killing them. I was lucky to have been captured by a young Croatian soldier.
79
Two other soldiers came up to him immediately after that. The other two searched me
and took ail I had on me, which included my ID documents and about 100 DM. That was
what they confiscated from me. They also snatched a gold chain from my neck and took
it away. The young man put the barrel of his gun to my forehead, but had no guts to kill
me. He was indecisive for a while and simply let me live. The others were not that lucky.
At the time of the attacks on Ravno Rasce and Glina itself, I was not aware of the regions
of origin of the soldiers who carried out the attacks and committed the massacres. It was
only later that I found out that those were the Sisak military units, but I can't be more
specific about the units in question and who was in their command.
As an eye witness to these crimes, I can only mention the above named Milan
Dokmanovic, who used to live in Karlovac at the time of the outbreak of war and , later
on, at Kusilovic, in the municipality of Krnjak.
After my capture, I was placed in a basement of a building in Glina. I spend the first few
days there. I was then transported to Petrinja where I spent one day and a night. From
there, I was moved to the collective centre in Sisak where I spent ten days and to
Karlovac where I spent just one day and finally, I was detained for six months in the
District Prison of Remetinac, in Zagreb. After that , I was exchanged. I cannot complain
about my treatment by the Croatian authorities in Zagreb during my six-month detention
there. My treatment there did not go beyond routine procedures except for a few slaps
here and there, which was more of an exception than the rule. The worse treatment I was
subjected to was in Glina and in Sisak. I was really and truly tormented and tortured
there. In Sisak, they left me without six teeth; they fractured two of my left side ribs and
broke the joints of my middle fingers on both hands. The treatment of the other prisoners
was no better. The only ones spared to some extent were elderly men who were frai), but
not ail of them. I didn't witness any of the prisoners being killed , but I saw some people
being singled out like those in Petrinja. I never saw those people ever again. While I was
at these two collective centres, I could hear screams and yells from the adjoining
premises. lt was the Croatian soldiers themselves who bragged about cutting the throats
of two or more Chetniks, this or that night.
I can't give the names or nicknames of the persons who tortured either me or the other
prisoners . Since ail that happened in Sisak, I suppose that they are ail from that region. I
used to know Mijo Latin from Sisak before the war. He worked with me at the Secretariat
for Internai Affairs in Zagreb . He found me at the collective centre in Sisak and saw the
state I was in. After that, they stopped mistreating me and the maltreatment of other
people I was in contact with. I am not in possession of any medical documents
concerning the injuries I sustained. White I was in prison in Zagreb, I was investigated by
the military court of Karlovac. I was interrogated in Zagreb and prosecuted subsequentl y.
I was sentenced at the main hearing to five years in prison. I was not given the
opportunity to appeal against this sentence. I am in possession of these documents and
will make a photocopy of them.
80
People from the International Red Cross visited us for the first time while we were at the
collective centre in Sisak. That visit came 5 or 6 days after our arrivai. I can vouch that
the camp authorities in Sisak hid some prisoners from the International Red Cross. I don't
know anything about these individuals. As a matter of fact, the delegates of the
International Red Cross were given precise hours when they could corne to the camp. We
were ail placed in one big room and there were about 200 of us, on average. However,
some people were led away during the night and we never saw them again. Instead of
them, other people were brought in, also during the night. So, our numbers were more or
less the same. Once, a group of 12 people was brought to the room white a delegate of the
International Red Cross was still in. The situation was a bit tense until she was allowed to
register even the newcomers. I got the impression that those people had to be concealed
from the International Red Cross so that the number of inmates would not be increased ,
because everything had to add up in the end. I can't tell the names or nicknames of those
people; they were ail unknown to me. I only know that they were Serbs.
White I was in Sisak, I was not aware that anyone died in the room we were detained in
nor was anyone dead in the cell, white I was detained in Remetinac prison. However, I
found out, during the walks with other prisoners, that some of the elderly people had died
during the day. I can't give any more details about the people who died .
I understand that there were no women prisoners detained in prison, m Zagreb. The
inmates were only men aged between 18 and 80.
There were no women and children at the Sisak collective centre either. I heard , but didn't
see it for myself, that there were women and children nearby, in another room. I heard
women talk through the window or children crying , but I was never in close contact with
women and children. White I was in Glina and Petrinja, I was in a basement with two or
three men, and was not in contact with any other prisoners. I have no direct knowledge
about the fate of those who sought protection in UNPROFOR bases and who were Iater
handed over to the Croatian military or police authorities, because I was not in that
situation. Everything I know, I know from Dragan Kotur, who is from Veljun in the
municipality of Slunj, and whom I met in Remetinac prison. He told me that he had been
wounded at a place called Zirovac and that he managed to go to the UNPROFOR base
where the Russian battalion was stationed. He sought their assistance and was given only
the most urgent medical attention. He was later turned over to the Croatian authorities in
Glina. He was taken to the detention centre of Ozar, near Karlovac, and was subjected to
the same treatment as 1. I know that he was physically maltreated , but I don't know
whether he had any fractures or suffered more serious consequences. He is currently in
Pozarevac and resides in the vicinity of the women's prison. He is renting a place there.
I can't give any specific details about the people who died , since I didn't know them well.
I only knew people from the places I lived when I came from Karlovac. I didn't know
even by sight people who were in the convoy with me or in the detention camps, later on .
They told me that they suffered the same fate as I did. However, I don't know their names
or any other particulars. If necessary, I am willing to testify even before the International
Court of Justice in the Hague.
81
That is ail I had to say.
I have been advised to read the minutes and I declare that I don 't want to, because it was
dictated out loud.
Court Recorder
Dragisa Jovanovic (Signed)
Witness
Mirko Mrkobrad (Signed)
Investigating Magistrate
Vukasin Stanisavljevic (Signed)
82
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83
Od .rodjenja pa sve do jula · meseea 1991 ~ godine ziveo sam u
Kp.rlovcu -· a potorti sve ·•do ~.u§ta 1995. godine u selu Crevarska
t strana; opstina Vrgin Most; gde su moj:i -rodi t-elji inrali podignutu
kuéu za odrnor. 7ogacfàna ·zbog akcije Hrvatske vojske morali smo da
napustimo mesto boravi§ta, i to ja i moji roditslji, kao i tena.
Moji ·roditelji krenuli su a kolonom koja se uputila put Bosne a ja
sam ostao na polozaju u blizini mesta· Tusilov-acki ·Cerovac, opstina
Krnjak; na keritoriji tadasnje Republike Srpske·K~ajine . .- .• .
Focetkom avgusta 1995- goèine, mislimda ·je bila·nedelja, dan 8. avgusta
te godine, ja sam se nalazio u koloni izbeglica. Manji broj ljudi iz ove kolone
ja sam licno pôznavao. Licno sam jedino poznavaG porodicu DoJrJI1anovié. Kada se
kolona nasla nà mestu zv. Ravnd · Rasée doslo je do napada Hrvatske vojske.
Kolona je ~a s · leVe boQne strarie· ·takô da je kolona ra:zdvojena na dv
dela. Ja sam senasao u :drugom qelu kolonE! koji je · ostao prema Glini. Pre nego
sto se pojavila Hrvatska vojska doslo je do b_ombardovanja iz ~iljerijskih
orudja. Granatiranje je trajalo desetak minuta. Tokom granatiranja doslo je do
d~rektnog ~@tka u teretno. vozilo marke 11Zastava 1'- vlasnistvo Madjercié Voj~a
iz Krnjaka. To · vozilo je bilo zapalj~no ' koje je buknulo jer se u vozilu
nalazila izvesna kolicina goriva. Da li je neko stradao u vozilu ili ne, ne
mogu da se izjasnim, ali je zapaljeno vozilo onernoguéilo kolonu da se putem
kreée napred ka Bosni. Posto je granatiranje ·potom · nastavljeno u koloni kojoj
sarn. i ja pripadao, a to je onaj odseceni • dèo, bilo je vise mrtvih i ranjenih.
Poimenice se ne bih mogao izjasni ti o tim ljudima; samô mogù da navedem da je
po rnojoj gruboj ·proceni·bilo najmanja..t.ridesetak .... mrtrih a znatno vise ranjenih.
Sve je ovo' bilo 0dok se vojska nije pojavila. Kada je prestala artiljerijska
paljba pojavila se j~inica Hrvatske vojske u sastavu od otprilike 50 vojnika
koji su bili naoruzani automatskim oruzje, minobacacima ·i · zoljama. Deo kolone
ispred · zapaljénog vozi1a nastavio je bezaniju ka Bosni, a deo kolone kome sa m
ja pripadao' poceo je u ·neredu da se vraéa · ka Glini. Po , ovoj koloni Hrvatski
vojnici su PQS.tli. da piic«ju iz automatskog oruzja i mirrobacaca. Ljudi ~~p_a.,c;!ali
k~Ç>_ l?I!QJ?lje, Kbliko je bilo mrtvih i · ranjenih tesko je · bilo izbrojatL
· U vezi -~!'.Q~tL~krnanovié- ~Q.j-~_ · je ·bila · u toj koloni a njih je bilo
ukûpno œtvoro i i tci Dokmanovié _Milan, ko·ji' je ranije zi veo u Kar lovtu, njegova
zena Ljubie:a i dvoje maloletne ·aece. ·Ja ne rnogu precizno da nàvedein da li je
nèko od njih stv.adao. Ja sam , jedino posle 5-6 dana· video Milana · u · sabirnom
logoru u Sisku. Medjutim sa njim · tada nisam kontaktirao · a ni kasnije a koliko
sam cuo on je najverovatnije razmenjen a gde se on sada nalazi, zaista mi nije
poznato.
·_ Ksda je 'kolona izbeglica · uspela da stigne · · do Gline koja je od mes ta zv.
Ravno Rasée udaljèno · oko 15 kilornetara, I-!_rvatska· voj~~- j_~ _Y.:§f ___ Qj.JC! ___ ~pc::_,~ela
Glj.J1u. Kolôna je, pustena ·u mesto GHna i kada je dosla- u sam ~r Gline, sa
svih' strana- se pojavila Hrvatskà vojska te iz' togà sam ja izvukao zakljucak da
su ohi veé bili u mestu kada je kolona usla. Na mestu gde sam se ja nalazio, a
to je kruzni tok kod Doma zdravlja u Glini, bilo je po mojoj proceni okQ __ ..6DO
izbeglica, sto zena, sto dece mahom civila a u manjem broju i uniforrnisanih
îica. Tada b~? __ Jl5,1'3,1{Y.O,g_upozocenja sa svih strana izvrsena je ...J?aJjba i to iz
pesadijskog oruzja. Ljudi. · su padali kao snoplje. Po mojoj gruboj proceni
poginulo je oko 150 ljudi. Jedan broj je bio ranjen. Za ovo vreme iz grupe
izbeglica pojedfod su uzvraéali iz vatrenog oruzja, ali manje-vise nasurnice.
Posle 10 do 15 minuta prestala je paljba i tada su se pojavili Hrvatski
vojnici. PoJedini r~~ll.t.fi su lezali.· · Ta.da Je jédan.broj Hrvatêkih vo_j_nika, i
to oni prvi, o!Yorio vatru na ranjenl_ke Ni~neposredn~ _J:>li zine pucajuéi irn u
~lavu •' ~retezn? j: pucano O
i~ eis~~ja: eV 0
bih rr;o~ao •po imen~u · cl.a navedem ni
Jedno lrce koJe Je tom prillkom 1zgubllo z1 vot 111 b1lo ranJynq. U tr,eriutku
kada je poceo napad ja sam bio na periferiji kolone. 'Ni~am ' ·imao gde da
pobegnem. To mi je i spaslo zivot jer su stradali po pravilu oni do kojih su
84
Hrvatski vojnici . odmah dosli. Mi koji srno bili rnalo dalje imali smo veée sanse
àa sacuvamo glavu. Bio sarn ocevtqac kada su pojedini I'.Jr.?.!.§.lü _v0.j_riici ljude iz
moje neposredne blizine postrojaval} pored zida i po nekoliko njih .i onda na
njih pucali i ubijali t _ to · l? _ _1}~~1?.!'~~1?-~ __ l:J_l!?.i!Je. Ja ~rn imao sreéu da me je zaI'obio jèdan jiff~df Hrvatski vojQik. _ Ç)dmah su pri~la jos -dy-0j;i.c~.: 1'a dvojica su
me pretresla · i uzeli su cino sto sam iman a.. imaq sarn licna qokumenta · i negde oko
100 maralsa. To sU oni Ùzeli .. Strgli su mi i zlatan Lancié s -vrata i to je
odnet'o:' Ovaj mladié ; mi .• je . prislonio . usta cevi 'od aufoinafske puske na : cela
glave, ali nije irnao snagu da me ubije. Kolebao se jedno vreme i jednostavno me
je ostavio zivog. _ Drugi nfsu.,bili t_e sreée.
Ja u, vreme napada na. mestu _ zv. Rayno .Rasée P kasnije i u samojGlini
· nisam znao sa kog podrucja su· v·ojntci koji _ su izvrsili ove nap1;J;de _i masakre.
Tek tasnije sam saznao pa su te ,napade .izvrsile , jedinice sa _sisaclt_~ zbornog
. porucja ali ne .bih mogao da nazrlacim koje su jedinice u pit~nju i ko . je tirn
jedïnicarria komandovao. ·
Kac svedpke ovih zlocina. jedino bih II1ogao da navedem pomenutog
Dokmanovié Milana, koji je pre izbijanja rada u; HFvat.skcj ziveo, 1,.1. Karlovcu a
kasnije u Kusiloviéu, opstiria Krnjak .
. Posle zaroblJavanj~ ja sam bio smesten u ~qrumu je_dne zgr_ade u Glini.
Tu sam proveo .prvih nekoliko dana'. Zatim sam P.reoacen u-Petrinju gde sam prov eo
dan i noç, . zatim u Sisak. u sabirnom logoru ~~l-: pa u Karlovçu 1 don i na
kraju 9 · meseci · u ÔKruznom zatvoru Remetj nac , -u , -Zagrebu, nakon cega sam
ràzinenjen. Ja se u Zagrebu gde sam proveo 6 meseci ne_ mogu potuziti na tretman
od strane Hrvatskih vlasti. Bilo je sve u granicama normale, ako se izuzme
(>ojedino .sikaniranje koje se svodilo na samar-dva, ali . je i to bilo izu zetno.
Najteze je bi.lo u Clini a . zatim u .Sisku . . Na ov,i.IJ).: .mestima u odnosu na mene i
druge vrseno je pravo maltretiranje i fiz;icko zlostavljanje._ :Y ~isk):j,"J,am ostao
bez 6 zuba, slomljena su . ,mi dva rebra na levoj, strm,ü i po Q!Illjeni . su mi
zglobovi na srednjîm prstima obe ruke . . I ostali zaroblj~nici · u ovim mest:ima su
prosli slicno kao ja. Postedjeni su bili samo stari muskarci koji su do kraja iz;1emogli, ali to ne svi. J.a licno nisam _ video da je peko od 2arobljenika
~:ij~n., ali sani b}o svedok odv3-j_é!B.j§. -~in!!1_ U2ê kao u Petr.:i,nj:l -~ ·Té; lica
kasnije n!!5ada_,_. u __ zi~u. nisam video. Dok sam -bio ,u ova dva sabirna logora iz
sui;iednih prosforija cuo ~am ~nje _~ Sami l-kvatsk::i. __ yojp_ici :su se bY_1?-l;ili da
su te i te noéi 2akla,...l_i.,..â_v_a_ · -iJ.! __ .'1-,~~-~ ~~~.!!li.ka. - .. - . - - . · · ··-
Ja ne bih mogao da navedem po imenu ili nadimku lica koja su mene
zlostavljali ai druge. Obzirom da se ovo desavalo u Sisku pretpostavljarn da su
sa tog podrucja. Ja i:,am jot~od _pr.e:-r:-at_a. ,zna_p _Lat _i_n_]1:i.ju _iz: S:i.sk?.J~oji je jedno
vreme samnorn · radio u Repu~Jic~oi;i. Se~etarijatu za ~m11tra,-5-r1j~ po~l0ve : u ~gtebu. On me je. _ pfonasao u _ sab.irnom logoru. Sisak_ i video r_ne kako izg-iectam. Nakon toga
prestalo jè moje maltrètiranje kao i maltretiranje drugih lica sa kojima _sam ja . dolazi6 · U · kontélkt. Ned:îcinsku · doku.rnentaclJu - o zadobijenim povreàama ne
posedujem jer nije bilo moguénosti · da je pribaviin. Dok sam bip u Zagrebackom
zatvoru u odnosu na mene vodjen je istrazni postupak, stim sto je istragu
sprovodio vojni sud iz Karlovca. Saslu~av~nja_ su obavlj1;nq u Zagrebu a potom je protiv mene podignuta optuznica i zatim odrzan glawli pr.etres i:osudjen .sam na
kaznu zatvora od 5 godina. Nisarn imao priliku da se zalim na ovu presudu. Tu
dokumentaciju posedujem i doneéu je radi fotokopiranja.
Prvi put su se pqjavili - l.jUdi iz medjunarodnog Crvenog __ kr.s.ta dok smo
bili u Sabirnom logoru $l&é3k. To je bilo nak9.n5_d.9 . .6.. _ ___g_ana od naseg dolaska. Ja
mogu da potvrdim da su logorske vlasti u Sisku ~!_yale od medjunarodnog
crvenog kr 9;ta . pojedine zarobljenike i o cijoj sudbini ja nista nezna11. naime,
. clanovi rried,jünarodnog crvenog krsta su imali odredjeno vreme kada su mogli da
Ûâju u Sabirni logor. Mi smo svi bili u jednoj velikoj sali i u proseku nas je
85
bilo oko 200. Medjutim, desavalo se da se tokom .nQÇi izdvoje pojedini ljudi,
odvect_u i vise ih nikad ne vidima, a umesto njih tokom noéi dovode se drugi
l.:\udi' tako da je brojno stanje uvek bila isto. u jednom slucaju bila je
dovedena grupa od 12 ljudi koja je pustena u salu a u tom trenutku clanica
medjunarodnog crvenog krsta je bila unutra. Bilo je "povuci-potegni" dok joj je
dozvoljeno da evidentira i te novopridosle ljude. Steklo se utisak da su ti
ljudi trebali da budu sakriveni oct medjunarodnog crvenog krsta kako se brojno
stanje ne bi poveéalo jer je kasnije brojno stanje moralo da bude na nivou. o
tim ljudima poimenice ili nadimcima ne mogu da se izjasnim, jer su to bili za
mene nepoznati ljudi,, samo znam da su srpske nacionalnosti .-
Ja u Sisku ni~a,m- primetio da je neko urnro u sali u kojoj smo bili a
takodje niko nije umro ni u éeliji u kojoj sam bio dok sam bio smesten u
zatvoru Remetinac. Medjutim, tqkom sethje od drugih zatvorenika iz drugih
éelija saznavao sam da je po nekp od starih ljudi umro tokom dana. Takodje i o
tim ljudima koji su umrli nikakve podatke ne mogu da pruzim.
Koliko je meni poznato u Zagrebackom zatvoru nije bila zena veé
iskljucivo muskarci starosti od 18 do 80 godina.
U Sisku u sabirnom centru samnom u sali nije bila zena i dece. Cuo sam,
mada nisam licnb video, da je u blizini u drugoj rtekoj prostoriji bila zena i
dece. Vise puta sam kroz prozor cuo zenski i detinji plac, ali jasa zenama i
decom nisam bio u neposrednom kontaktu. Dok sam bio u Glini i Petrinji ja sam
bio smesten u podrumske · prostorije sa 2 - 3 muskarca i ni?am ima,o dodira sa
drugim zarobljenicima.
Ja iz neposrednog saznanja nista neznam o sudbinama onih koji su
zatrazili zasti tu u bazama Unprofora a koji su kasnije isporuceni Hrvatski m
vojnim i policijskim organima, jer nisam bio u toj situaciji. Jedino sto znam -- > to je posretno preko Kotur. Dragaoa iz Veljuna, opstina Slunj koaga sam zatekao
u zatvoru Remetinac. ônmi je ispricao da je ranjem na mestu zv.Zirovac i da je
uspeo da dodje do baze Unprofora gde su bili pripadnici Ruskog bataljona. Njima
se obratio za pomoé i tu je dobio samo najnuzniju lekarsku pomoé. kasnije su ga
predali hrvatskim vlastima u Glini. Kasnije je odveden u sabirni logor Ozar
pored Kar lovca i prezi veo je sve ono sto sam i ja. Znam da jê fizicki
rnaltretiran a da li mu je sta polomljeno i da li su ostale teze posledice, to
neznam. On je trenutno u Pozarevcu i smesten je u blizini zenskog zatvora. Tu
zivi kao podstanar.
Meni je zao, ali pojedinosti ne mogu da navedem jer mi ljudi koji su
stradali nisu licno poznati posto sam jedino dobro znao ljude iz mesta gde sam
ziveo po dolasku iz Karlovca. One ljude koje sam video u koloni i koji su
samnom kasnije bili u sabirnim logorima, pre toga nisam znao ni iz vidjenja.
Pricali su mi da su slicno pro~li kao ja, ali. njihova imena i podatke nisam
upamtio. Ako bude bila potrebno spreman sam da svedocim i pred Medjunarodnim
sudom u Hagu.
Ja drugo nemam sta da izjavim~ Diktiranje sam slusao i na uneto nemam
primedbe, te isti ne zelim da êitam.
1
JJ }fi . . pis1 . -· a~ ~l(,!
[; '
Svedok,
/lf(i~~/1
i,13,0,aje ..., wTaMna: 9 .. .A1n,o,np1,1je Tyu,oai.ttt" Y1to1Ll,e
03Hatta 3a nopyu6~Hy: 090112

ANNEX53
Basic Court in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Minutes of the witness hearing of Boris Martinovié,
dated 7 May 1997

89
Kri - 114/97-32
MINUTES ON WITNESS HEARING
Taken on 7 May 1997 before the investigating magistrate of the Basic Court in Banja
Luka in the criminal case against NN persons for the criminal act punishable under
Article 142 of the Criminal Code
Investigating Magistrate
Djordje Stojakovic
Court Recorder
Mirjana Misie
Witness
Boris Martinovic
The hearing was also attended by:
Public Prosecutor
No one
Defendant
No one
Defence Counsel
No one
The Court rose at 9:00 a.m.
The witness was warned that he was bound to tell the truth and that he should not hold
anything back; he was also warned against the consequences of giving false evidence and
that he should not respond to certain questions if he would thereby embarrass himself or
any next of kin seriously or cause damage or be prosecuted as a result of it (Article 229 of
the Criminal Procedure Code), so he replied to the general questions as follows:
1. Family and given names:
2. Father's name:
3. Occupation:
4. Address:
5. Place of birth:
6. Date of birth:
Martinovic, Boris
Stanko
law graduate
Banja Luka, 6 Dzinic St., Tel: 078/ 15698 & 17668
Ljubljana
24 June 1949
7. Relationship to the defendant or injured party: not related
Asked to state what he knew about the case, the witness declared:
Before the outset of the war, I lived in Glina. Glina's population was about 73% Serb and
its other residents were Croats and Muslims. This percentage is based on the 1991 census.
The surroundings of Glina were also populated by Serbs, since the total population of
Glina municipality was some 23,000, of which there were about 1,500 Croats and the rest
were Muslims. When the war broke out in 1990, interethnic relations in Glina were tense.
90
This was particularly evident in the April 1990 elections in which several Croatian parties
and other ethnie parties ran. The only Serb party which stood in these elections was SOS
(Serbian Democratic Party) and since no political party won these elections, it was not
possible to form local government and the elections were ran off in the second half of
October 1990, when SOS overwhelmingly won. After the victory in the elections and
considering that the HDZ party won in the other regions of Croatia, the Croatian
authorities began sending police backups to Glina, which posed a threat to the Serbian
population. Immediately after the run-off elections, Serb residents of Glina, who worked
in Sisak, Petrinja and even Zagreb , got sacked and returned home. This came as a shock
to Serb residents, because the Croatian authorities were intolerant of them and refused to
recognize Serbs as a constituent nation of Croatia. After that, Croatian police started to
burst into some Serb houses and rounded up Serbs and brought them to police stations for
questioning. Ail this was followed by the planting of mines and blowing up of Serb
houses. This upset and scared Serbs and they started their preparations for defence. The
first clash occurred on 20 June 1990 when the Croatian police fired at and wounded
engineer Miladin Ilic, who was born in Srbac and was 35 years old. He bled to death
because the police prevented doctors from attending to him on the scene.
After this incident, Serb residents established a 7 kilometre-long defence line from Glina
to the River Kupa . From that moment on, they defended Glina and its surroundings ,
preventing both Croatian police and army from entering. On their part, Croats made
several attempts in 1991 to break this defence line into Glina and other places, but they
failed. They managed to infiltrate some terrorist groups in Glina and neighbouring
villages. These groups wreaked havoc in their wake . For instance, they infiltrated
themselves on 19 December 1991, massacring 21 Serbs from Glina area, on the spot.
They slaughtered Milan Pavlica , born in 1960, in the village of Drenovac , in the
municipality of Glina, of father Ranko and mother Miljka. They also slaughtered
Svetozar Borojevic from the village of Veliki Gradac. I don't know any other particulars
for him. Branko Januz went missing in that incident. He was born in 1955 in the village
of Brubno in the municipality of Glina , of mother Milka. He is still unaccounted for. I
can't recall the names of others, but I know full well that 21 bodies were buried in Glina
and neighbouring villages, where those killed used to live. As time went by, Croatian
forces made occasional inroads into the defended lines of Glina, taking one or two men
who became unaccounted for, from then on. Sorne of the disappeared were found dead
after a while, showing signs of throats eut. Sorne of the dead bodies had the signs of
strangulation with wire. The Croatian army used its positions to occasionally shell Glina
and nearby villages. Life was like that in Glina up to 4 August 1995 when the Croatian
army mounted its operation codenamed »Storm« from ail sides, closing in on this area
and occupied Glina. The attack of the Croatian army was preceded by the heavy shelling
of Glina and its surroundings, which lasted ail day on 4 - 7 August 1995, forcing the
local population to leave their homes and seek shelter in the direction of Dvor-upon-Una
and further on in the territory of the Republic of Srpska . The shelling was very intense
and even before the population left their homes , there were victims. Shelling was an
indication that the Croatian infantry would launch an attack, which was why convoys of
people fled the area. As a matter of fact , the civilian population was not tleeing ; they
were actually retreating. They used passenger cars, freight vehicles , tractors and horse-
91
drawn carts. There were many of them who walked because they had no means of
transport. Convoys of refugees fleeing Knin and Kordun joined and the entire convoy
became very long. As the convoys moved on, Croatian warplanes flew over , causing
panic on the ground. However, after the overflight of these planes , the convoy would
continue its movement. The convoy was shelled by the Croatian army at Brezovo Polje ,
which is some 20 kilometres away from Glina. I saw for myself six bodies of killed
civilians, but I had no time to turn them over and inspect them to see if I cou Id recognize
anyone. The second shelling of the convoy came when we were close to Gornji Zirovac . I
think that the shelling came from the right side of the road as we moved in the direction
of Dvor-upon-Una. That was the side on which there were some Muslim forces, namely
505 Buzin Brigade. From that place, along our further movement to Dvor-upon-Una, I
spotted that the road was full of destroyed or damaged vehicles and killed animais from
horse-drawn carts, as well as that there were scattered human bodies on the road and
beside it. From that spot until the entry into Bosanski Novi , the left side of the road was
held by the Second Guard Brigade of the Croatian army , known as »Thunders «, while the
right side of the road was held in addition to 505 Buzin Muslim Brigade, also by the
517th and 521 st Muslim Brigades. Both Croatian and Muslim forces relentlessly shelled
the convoy and opened small arms and other fire on it. We came across more and more
bodies along the road as we approached Dvor-upon-Una. At the roundabout where there
is an exit for Kostajnica and where one enters Dvor , I noticed an artillery piece beside
which there were piles of dead bodies . On that exact spot, there were between 70 and 100
bodies, including those of women and children. I would like to emphasize in particular
that the piles of dead bodies from the place called Trgovi to Bosanski Novi were thicker
and thicker. From Trgovi on, soldiers belonging to Muslim forces simpl y eut the convoy
and led some people away, killing them by the roadside . They even confiscated their cars
they drove off, robbing the refugees who kept on going despite the intensity of the fire
from cannon and small arms. I noticed on the plateau in the village of Matijevici, where
we came on our way to Novi Grad, that there were very many dead bodies of civilians ,
including women and children, in between the farmhouses of a cooperative. The refugee
column was held up at that point for a whole day and on the afternoon of 8 August 1995,
the fighting picked up and the convoy entered the area of the Republic of Srpska, more
specifically Novi Grad which was under the mortar fire of both Croatian and Muslim
forces. The next day, on 9 August 1995, the convoy headed from Novi Grad to Prijedor
and in the afternoon, when it came to the village of Svodno, two Croatian warplanes flew
overhead and dropped down bombs on the convoy. I was close by the spot where the
missile landed and I saw with my own eyes six bodies of civilians , and there were
probably even more bodies on other spots. I spent some time in Prijedor , because about
140 wounded people were transported from the area of Glina. Afterwards , I came to
Banja Luka where I still live. I stress that , according to my estimate , close to 1,600 noncombatants,
including elderly people, women and children, were killed in the refugee
convoy going from Glina to the Una River before the y crossed into the Republic of
Srpska. Most victims were the elderly , women and ch ildren, because they mainly moved
in the convoy. Young people defend ed the lines in order to make possible the pullout of
the civilian population. I found out that the refugee convoy, when it set off from the
Republic of Serbian Krajina to the Republic of Srpska , numbered 100,000 people and
that the lists of refugees were made during the movement of the convoy upon orders of
92
Lt. Djukic, who was a serving military officer and who is with the Kozara barracks.
These lists can be found at the Association of Refugees from the Republic of Serbian
Krajina in Banja Luka, Svetozar Markovic St. c. Those lists could be used to select those
who survived and to ask them to give information on the dead people whom they have
known. On the basis of such information , the number of those who were killed cou Id be
roughly established. As a member of the State Commission for Prisoner Exchange , I
visited the area as an associate member, the areas from where the refugee convoy moved
from the Republic of Serbian Krajina . I saw mass graves which contained the bodie s of
those civilians killed and I concluded on the basis of it, that about 1,600 dead civilians
were buried there, as I already mentioned .
I also add that I saw in a clearing in the village of Gvozdanjsko , which is located before
the entry into Dvor , 3 to 5 kilometres away , on the right side of the road , in the direction
of Novi Grad, a pile of dead civilian bodies being tom apart and eaten by pigs.
I would like to mention that I am writing a piece on the exodus of the Serbian population
from the region of the Serbian Krajina and the victims who went missing in the operation
»Storm «, and when I finish it, I will make it public.
Last year, in September, I gave a statement to a representative of the ICTY in connection
with what I noticed and experienced in the exodus from Glina to the territory of the
Republic of Srpska, including the bombing in the village of Svodna
That is ail I had to say .
I have been advised to read the minutes and l declare that I don 't want to, because it was
dictated out loud.
The hearing was adjourned at 10:30 a.m.
Court Recorder
Mirjana Misie (Signed)
Boris Martinovic (Signed) Investigating Magistrate
Djordje Stojakovic (Signed)
93
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4) JiopasRmTe fün ·:a Luka UL Dziniéeva br. 6 teL 078/15- 698 ---·------•n •••n n ••••v -------------------------------------------------------------------------------·------------------·--· 17-668
5) Mecrn pol)e11,3 ............. T~jub:'..jana ....................................................................................... .
6) ro.llRHa pol)eu,a ............ ..2~~-06 ...J..:;)/,l_Çl ..................................................................................... .
2 = :~:= N:7""~00Z[l __
94
.. 2 -
J2. sao ors nocetirn ovor; rata ='.::7.veo u GJ.in5 . . U Gl5.n:i je bila oko 73% s'car.ov-nika ~-
srpske rn:cc:_onal nosti . a ost'ë!.1o su. bi~.i Hrvat::. j_ è'1usEmani. Ovaj p,~ocenat potiv.
iz ))Opisa obnavl.jenos u coku 1991.godlne. OkoJ.:Lna GHne takod2er je naseljena
sa. sta.novni~:tvom srpske nacionalnosti jer je na podruCju opStj_ne Glia n Zivelo
ukupno oko 23 .000 stanovn:i.ka ~ a na tom podrucju ukupno je bilo Hl'vata oko
L S00 a ostalo su biH MusE:,1a.ni. Na pocetku ra.ta 1990 . godi.ne u Glini se
pr:Lsustvo narusenost:i. medjunacionalnih odnosa. Ovo je pogotovo
prHil<om i.zbo:> su aprHu. mesecu 1990 .godine kada se pcja vilo vj_se s'ci'anaka od
s'c,·ane :-!rva::a . a takod j e!' :L ·1ru:;i;ih. t-
1a Strani SRba vojavia1-. se sa,-no st" anka SDS:
5. posta na J.;;:borima ni jedna · stranka nije dobila veéi nu nije bi.lo moguénosti da'
se fm':n: ;_ra skun st i na oostine me<ljutim izbori su oonovl je ni u drugo j polovini
o~(tobr2. 1990.godine i t3.da je ubedljivo na t,om podrucju pobedio SDS. Pesle po
na ponovljenim i:~borima . a kako je na podrucju H':"vatske uglavnom pobedi l a HDZ
hrva .tsl<e vlasti otooce H sa sa. upuéiva nj em pojacanja svojoj policij i u. Glini s
Je ?"'edstavlja:o opasnost za srpsl<0 stanovnistvo . Odrnah posle ponovljenii1 izbo :
po.iito _ie veliki dem · srpsko g stanov n:.st va raio u Sisku Petrinj i .. a izv esta .n bno
i u Zag1'ebu svi Srbi su àobil:i. otkaze j_ vrtili se svojim kuéa.11a. To je d:lakle
predstav1jalo za srpsko stnaovnistvo iz nenadni sok .jer su hrvatske vlasti prerna'
s1~b:i.ma 5.spoljili netrepeljivost i. nepiz navanje Srba kao konstitutivno g dela
Ervatske. Nakon ovoga ·hrvatska policija otpocela je
ku6e pr-ivodjenje..rn stanovnika srpslœ nacional nost i na
star1:~.cu e. uslediia su :~ miniranja po._iedinih srpskih
::;j vaJ.c uznemi.renost i strah i :Lsti su. ot poce!.i da se
sa upadanjem u pojedine sr ·_
saslusanje u polic i jsku
kuéa. Sve to kod Srba ....
ie J ,,
priprernaju za odbranu. Dosi
je ào su\coba 20 .. juna 1991.godine je r su brvats l<i poli ca j ci otvor'ili vat r u i tom
p"':'. lil<om te<:iko t'aniJ.i inzenjera '•!:i.ladina ILiéa r odje nog u Srp cu , sta z,og oko 35
zodi na. Ha l ieu r.iest anisu dozvol:U.i da s e Miiadinu kaze lekarska pomo6 . pa jei
is;œva,~ i o i u,.-nro.
Na:wn ovo~: incidenta stanovnici S!'pske nacionalnost 5. obr azovali su lfo i.ju odbra
na uda l ,ienosti. oct Gline okc 7 km Drema ,~ec:'c Kup:'. i od tog a momenta sa t mm linij
~t:'.t:.:a ::. su Œd.nu i nj enu o:<olinu nedozvoljavajué :l. hcvatskoj vojse: i i poiiciji
da upadaju na to por ue:je . Hrvati su sa svoje strane u nekoliko në.v:'"'2.t2. u toku
J.Ct:l, g·odine pokusavali da prodru tu lin :<u i upadnu. napodrucje Glir.e j_ drugih
mesta a:i.i im to nije poslo za rukom. Usvjevali su da ubace terorj _stick e grupe
u Bl inu i o'.wlna mesta koje su iza sebe ostavljale pustos. Konkretno , upali su,
19 .d ece mb1·2. 1991.g odine i na lie u mesta zaklali su 21 Srbina sa ;:,odr ucnja opsl
G~'--: ~na. Zakl aLi. su Mila na PvH cu rodj enog: 1960. godin e u selu Dr enova.c opstina ./
Gli.na od oca Ranke~ i majke rniljke .. Z.3.klali su Svetoza ;~2. Borojsv iéa iz sela
VeJ.. ~.l(i Gi."'aàe..c osta } __ -:~ nje ,~ove podatke. ne zna1~~. Nestao j e tom 9riJ_ikom takodjer;
Brn.d<o Januz od m?SΠl'iILce r odj en 1955 ,,r::odine u selu Brub;10 ops'ci.na Gli.na za:
xoga se ni d2.nas ;1e zna ni st 2. Osta~~a fm:é:na ja se sada .ne se5am/;·· l:i. l,,a •zdano ! >,-.,· :: : t ':J 0 s~.hr:·:u1 .. ~P.rd _ 1J. Glin 5_ i okoi.nim se2..ima u ko iima su z-: e li radali, l -- - ..,. / I ~ j ;,:f ./ J l;.~ -
95
- ,:,
U daljem toku vremena hrvatslœ jediniee sa svojih po:1.ozaja pov:'emeno su ::.. dalje
upadale na branjeno poàrucje Gline i odvodHi pojedinog ôov jeka za ;co~:a se vi?e
nista n::.lje znalo. Neki od odvedenih zap1·avo njegovo telo pronadjeno je po sle
izvesnog vrernena i na istom se viàe1o da je zaklan. Nô. nekima su se videl:L
tragovi davljenja hcorr:.. Hrvatska vo.~ska je sa svojih polozaja povremeno i ç;1·2 ---
natirala Gl.inu i okolna se~La i GEna je tal<0 zivela sve do 04 .avgusta 1S95.
godine l<ada je hrvats'.< avojska u svojoj ofanzj_vi zvanoj no1u_-1a11 sas v'~h st1°ana
izvrsila napad na to oodrucje i okupir ala :i.sto, Napad hrv atske vojske je p,_,ethodno
otpoceo snaznim granatiranJem Gline j okoline koje je trajalo ceo 04 ..
05. , 06. i 07 .08.1995.i:rodine usi~ct ceg2. ,ie stanovnistvo j_z Kn5.na i okolnfo m2sta
bila prl.nudjeno da napusta svoj e' kuée j_ da krene u iz.begHstvo u pravcu Dvc.r2. na
Unt :i daJ.je prema teritoriji. ReoublU<e Srpske. Granatira.nja su bila veoma
.snaZna i. pre nar,uStanaj svojih kuéa na pod~u.Cju GJJ.fle i okoln:~h sela b:tlo ,je Z·~t'""\v·
toga g~anat5.ranja:8 gra·(latiranje je pored nanoSenja vatreno .~~: udara ukaz:i.v2.lo da
.5e hrvatska vojse.k sa svojom pesaàijom krenuti u napad i to je bio razlog ?2
formfr an_je ko].ona i bekstvo sa tog pod-'ucja . Zaoravo. c i vüi nj_su be za li oni
su se povle.c:i.l:i.. Ci vili su se kretaL putn:Lckj_D. te i~etni m vozilirna. t,~aktori.m2
zaDreznim kolirna a bilo je veliki broj koji nisu imali prevoznih sreds t.a.v aoa
su se kretali peske. IColonu su sust5g; J.e i.zbegl:Lce sa podrucja Knina i ?Korduna
cako je kolom b:Lla iz uzetno duga. KOlonu su u toku k;:1etanja nad l eta U. hrva tsk j_
avj_oni koji su u istoj p:rouzrokovaH paniku . aH ')osle njehovog prel eta koJ.on2.
je nastavial àalej da se kreée. U Brezovom Polju na udaljenosti od Gl::.ne oko 20
km ko1ona ,je g·ranatirana od strane hrvatske vojske. Licno sam video na tom
:::-1estu 6 tela stradalih civila. aH ih ja nisam okretao i nisam imao vremena é.=?
5.h i0 az 13; leciam àa b.ih mozàa nekoga prepoznao. Drugo granat:i.ranje kolone ja sam dor
:Lveo u bUzini mesta zirovac Gor njè~. Ja pret9ostavlj am da j e to gra 2natil 0 2nj e
dolaz::ï.J.o sa desne strane puta u pr2.vcu naseg kr-etanja u. pr-avcu prerria. Dvor u na
Un:i. a tu na toj strani nalazile su se musEmanske jedinice i to 505.b uzirnsA:c
)J.risade. Od to~ mesta pa u toku dalje g kr etanja preœa Dvoru na Un:i. uocio s2.m
da je na kolovozu i 9ored kolovoza bil o mnoç,:o osteéeni h u i uni sten ih voziï.2..
ub:i.,.;ene stoke iz , ;,;al)rezn ih kola . a oko to g2. svega bilo je razbacan ih lj udslüh
tel2.. Od t o.ç; rnest a pa nad.ale~ sve do ulaska u Bosansk i Nov5- uor ed leve st ra ne
kolovoza gledano u pravcu kretanja polozaj je drfala 2.gardijska brt gada hrvatske
vo:;ske zvana II gromovi" , a sa desne stra ne kolovoza nalaz i le su se poreô. 505. b:û -
imske musUmanske !l!riga de ; 517. i 521.musJ.imanska brigada ., I hrv a ts ke :_ muslimanske
jed i.nice neprek i dno su dej stvov al e po kolon i granat fraju 6:L istu .i otlva' aj
uéi vatru iz pesa dij sk i h i dru gih or uz j a. Tela j e bil o sve vise j_ vi s e kako s e
kolona prfoliza.vala DVOi'U na Unj_ . Il/a samom skveru P;de se oàva,"a put za KOst2 ._jnicu ,
gde se ulazj_ u Dvo." na Uni tu sarn primet i o jedno 2.rtiljer i ~sko orudje . a poreè
njega su bile g01:n:Ue te la ubijen:1.l1. Na t om :mestu bilo ie :'. zmedm 70 i Jf° t e:.a
ubijenih , a medju njüna je bil a j_ zena i dece . Posebno j_sti.cem da §~e /- /
96
- 4 T
ub:1.jenih nala z:i.J.a o<l mesta Tr·govi pa prema Bosanskom Novom sve gusée i gu.st e .
Od tog mesta Tr~ovi pa nadalje vojnici iz pomenutih muslimanskih jedinica pros to
su upadali u kolonu , odvodili pojed i ne ljude i ubi jali ih çored kol ovoza. Oduzimali
sui pojedina putnicka vozi l a i odvozili ih plja ckaijuéi pri tome izbeglic
ekoje su se i dalje kretale bez obzira na zest inu i ~usti nu vat re :>.z
ar tiljerijskih i pesad i jskog oruzja. Kreéuéi se dal _je prema Novo)!l Gr adu na ula zu
u selo Matj_jev:Lée na jednom platou izmedju objekata neke zadruge primetio sam
mzuzetno veliki broj tela ubijenih civil.a medju koji ma je bilo i zena i dece.
N3. tom mes tu cela kclona izbeglica zadrzana je ceo dan, a posle to ga u
Dopodnevnim casovima 08.08.1995:igodine nastavljena su ratna dejstva i kolona je l
krenula, te smo presl i na podruèije Republike Srpske u Novi Grad koji je zasi pan
, sa artiljerijskom vat r om od strane hrvatske i muslimanske vojske. Sutr adan ' j
: 09.avgusta 1995.godine kolona je iz Novog Grada krenul a u pravcu Prijedoc au
popodnevnim casoviroa i kada se nasla u zoni sela Svodna gde sam i ja bio nadletela
su dva hrvatska aviona koji su bombardovali kolonu. Bio sam u neposr ednc j
blizini gde je pala raketa i licno sam videc 6 tel.a ubi jenih ci vila , a verov atno
ooje bile vise stradal i h na drugom mest u. Zadrzao sxam se u Prijedoru izvesrco
vreme jer je sa podrucja Gline dovezeno oko 140 ranjenih, a posle toga dosao sam
u Banja LU"Ku. gde se i danas nala zim" Isticem i t o da je po moj oj r acunici od
GEne pa do prelaska rel~e Une na teritoriju Republike Srpske u koloni izbeg li ca
st r adalo oko 1.600 civila-medju kojir!'.a je bi l o, sta rih ljudi, zena i dece. Naj vii
je dakle strada l o sta r ijih lju di i zena i dece jer su se oni uglavnom kr et al i u
l-~oloni. Mladji ljudi nagazovani su za odbranu i oni su bili na svoj im linijama .,
stiteéi povlacenej ci vilngo stnaovni stva. Saznao sam da jeu kolon i izbeglica
9roslo :9ut sa podruc j a teritorije Republike Srpske Krajine prema. podrucju
Republ i ke Srpske oko 100.000 i da su spiskovi izbeg l ica sacinjeni u t oku kreta
nja kolone po nared j enju porucnika Djukiéa koji je akt i vni of icir i nal azi se
u Kasar ni 11KOzara11 • Ti spiskovi posto j e u Udruzenju izbeglic2-. sa podr uéja Republike
Srpske Krajine u Banjoj Lucj_ u Ul . Svetozara Markoviéa c .I z tih spiskova
mogli bise odabrati pr eziveli i saslu sati pa bise oni mogli izjasnit i o pogi -
nul i1na koje oni poznaj u i na osnovu toga mogli bise utv r diti broj str adalih u
kolon i ba rprfolizno . Ja sam kao cl an Drzavne komisije za razmenu; odnosno kao
pr i druzeni clan isao na podrucje kuda se kolona izbeglica kretala sa podrucja
Srpske :<:rajine i video sam groblja - masovne grobnice na kojima su sahr anjen3.
tela st r adalih civila pa sam na osnovu toga zakljucio da je tarno sahr anjeno ol<0
l.6 00 st r adal il1 kako sam t o napred obj asni o.
Isti ceœ i t o da sam u selu Gvozdanjsko koje se nalazi pr e ul aza u Dvor na Uni.
na uàaljensoti od ;-5 km na jedno j pol jani sa
pravcu Novog Grada da je bila gomila t el.a ubije
j_ jele .
~ 1-1,,..;o, OOlll -~-"""""""' "A-A .._ ...... - - - (48/96) 03 ...,.. 30 ,.,.,,.,.....,, , o6p. 15p. :JJ/276
e strane kolovoza gl edano u
, n li i.· 1a l<oji su svinje k::_o.ale
. ' · e- (,1 =., mnn ·c aepeMOMa a,\M'Oll<CTPO"
_,-1 ~ l~ ~ .. ceKTOP ·s. î,oHoeMt\. - 6eofl)al
97
5
r~aporninjern da ja pisem o slucaju egzodusa srpskog stanovnistva na podrucju
Srpske Republike i zrtvama nastalim u ofanzivi 110luja" i kada to bude
zavrseno javnost ée biti obavestena.
Ja sam prosle godine u septembru mesecu dao izjavu u fezi sa svim onim sto sam
zapazio i preziveo u egzodusu od Gline do teritorije Republike Srpske ukljucujuéi
i bombardovanje u selu Svodna p1~edstavnici Haskog suda.
îo je sve sto ja za sada imam da izjavim.
Poucen sam da imam pravo da proci tam zapisoik 1 pa izjavljujem da ne zelim Je1~
je isti glasno àiktiran.
Dovrf,no u 10.30 casova.
J}'

Redacted
ANNEX54
ANNEX55
Municipal Court in Vrsac, Serbia, Minutes of the
witness hearing of Bozo lvanovié, dated 17 April 1997

111
Kri. 29/97
MINUTES ON WITNESS HEARING
Taken on 17 April 1997 before the investigating magistrate of the Municipal Court in
Vrsac in the criminal case against NN persans for the criminal act punishable under
Article 141 of the Criminal Code of Serbia
Investigating Magistrate
Vojislav Nikolic
Court Recorder
Vera Djuric
Witness
The hearing was also attended by:
Public Prosecutor
Defendant
Defence Counsel
The Court rose at 12:03 p.m.
The witness was warned that he was bound to tell the truth and that he should not hold
anything back; he was also warned against the consequences of giving false evidence and
that he should not respond to certain questions if he would thereby embarrass himself or
any next of kin seriously or cause damage or be prosecuted as a result of it (Article 229 of
the Criminal Procedure Code), so he replied to the general questions as follows:
1. Family and given names:
2. Father's name:
3. Occupation:
4. Address:
5. Place of birth:
6. Date of birth:
Ivanovic, Bozo
Rafailo
stoker
Vrsac, Stanoja Glavasa 46
Bukovica, Municipality of Vojnic
1946
7. Relationship to the defendant or injured party: not related, cautioned under Articles
11,229 and 231 of CPC
Asked to state what he knew about the case, the witness declared:
I used to live with my wife, daughter and grandchild in Vojnic where I worked at the
Memorial Park of Petrova Gora. My wife was a school mi stress. We owned a hou se and a
flat. We lived in Vojnic and had no intention of moving any place else. The attack on the
Republic of Serbian Krajina on 4 August 1995, at 5 a.m., found us in our home in Vojnic
or to be more precise, in Gornji Vojnic. We were hiding in the basement as we had no
information that we were supposed to move out and flee the area. We believed that the
Republic of Serbian Krajina would manage to defend itself and survive. However, on 6
August 1995 - my wife spoke about it in more detail - we had to leave our home because
112
of the attack of the Croatian army on the Republic of Serbian Krajina. Our neighbours
began leaving too. We joined the refugee convoy fleeing the Republic of Serbian Kraj ina.
We only packed a few necessary things and left. We were retreating via Topusko and
Glina, heading for Dvor, in order to reach the territory of the Republic of Srpska. When
we were 4-5 kilometres from Dvor, the soldiers of the Fifth Muslim Corps infiltrated the
refugee convoy and began killing men, women and children in the convoy. They also
wore camouflage uniforms. Then, men from the convoy took their arms and went out of
the convoy to defend people in it. We heard that the convoy was eut off in several places
by the soldiers of the Fifth Muslim Corps who fired shots at defenceless civilians, and the
withdrawing refugee convoy. I remained on position defending the convoy for a day-anda-half
afterwards until the convoy fully pulled out, including my wife, daughter and
grandson.
The convoy got out by refugees walking through ditches within the zone which came
under attack and was fired upon. Two days after the Muslim forces attacked the convoy,
we men, who stayed behind to defend the convoy, ail pulled out some time around noon.
I withdrew in a car and tractor which transported 6 to 7 elderly people who were unable
to walk. However, my tractor broke down and I had to leave it in the middle of the road
and those elderly people whom I didn't know stayed there. I picked up a little boy and put
him in my car, heading for Dvor. When I reached Dvor, it was shelled by Ustashe from
Kostajnica, and the residential quarters were under direct attack.
There was a tractor in front of me in the convoy with the trailer carrying hay. The trailer
was packed with people. There were probably between 15 and 20 of them. At one point,
the tractor and trailer were hit by a grenade and people flew like mannequins in the air
and they were instantly dead. With my little companion, I fled from the car and sheltered
in a deserted house. Next to me, there was a stranger who also took shelter in the same
building. I saw that he had lost part of his leg. He was practically legless, even though he
was not aware of it. Another man was hit in the forehead and his wound was bleeding. I
didn't know any of th ose people from the tractor trailer who were killed in the convoy in
front of me.
Having seen ail those wounded people, I was prompted to take a risk and not to wait for
the mortars to fall on that shelter I was in, so I and my little companion left that building
and, risking our lives, hopped into the car and moved on to catch up with the convoy.
When I caught up with it, I found people outside their vehicles because, due to incessant
shelling, they had to take caver beside the road. In short, the convoy was still shelled
even though it contained only civilians and there were no military forces in it.
In order to reach the Republic of Srpska, we crossed a bridge in Dvor and another bridge
near Bosanski Novi. We thus entered the territory of the Republic of Srpska. There was
no more shelling or bombing. I was separated from my family and was not sure who of
them survived and whether I would ever be reunited with them. I was overwhelmed with
emotions and I broke down because of what had happened to me in the last few days.
113
During the attack on the Republic of Serbian Kraj ina, Ran ka Drazic from Vrsac happened
to be at my brother's in Vojnic. She also survived the attack on the refugee convoy in
which she was wounded. I met with her, afterwards , in Vrsac, and I saw her scars. I had a
conversation with her brother Dusan Korac.
As I found out, Dusan Korac, who used to live in Vojnic and now resides m Vrsac,
though I don't know his address, was in the refugee convoy.
These two persons can provide information concerning what happened to the refugee
convoy that I already described.
As a matter of fact, I had not witnessed any other atrocit y nor do I have knowledge of any
other war crimes, except for the stories of other people .
The minute was not read to the witness, because he did not want to. He had no objections
to what was written down in it.
The hearing was adjourned at 12:45 p.m.
Court Recorder Bozo Ivanovic (Signed)
Vera Djuric (Signed)
lnvestigating Magistrate
Vojislav Nikolic (Signed)
114
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5) Mecro pol)ett,a ............. .6.~.l:':P.Y.i.C.FJ. ..S.\.i ... .V.iJ.!l.i.é .............................................. :.. '.... : ..... '
6) ro)lHH8 pol)ett,8 : ..... ::l-9r~ ......................... ;; .............. : ...................................................... : ...... 0
•
· · · n orodan c"'.::-w,nut u 8Di slu cll 229 i 231ZYJ'
7) ÜAHOC ca OKPHBJbeHHM H owrel'leHHM ................... ,....... ···-·. ····· ....................................................... ..
3a OBHM CBeAOK O caMOM npe)lMery 1113HOCH cne)lelie:
ltampa : TRITON PUBLIC. Vrtae
115
Ja saw &3 En1:.,.,usom , éerkow i unukorn 0v~o u Vojni6u gde- se rn
~a .... osl~:::i u i"lemori~elnom "'srku P~trova Go:,a a ocja sutr· .1g<J j~
~adila u ~k0li kac nastsv~ik rszre-dn~ ~actav~. Imali swc kuéu
i - sta.:i i zi ,r.,l~- e:mo u Vojniéu Nisruo imali nsw,r'..1. da s~ b.i.lo
gdl!I is&ljeva:o-o
Na .... as- na R~;,~ate-~s~_nasj! 4.oe. _ _!')_9,,? ~odir..~, u o.5,oo cascv3,
u na3oj kuci u VoJnicu tecniJ~ u GornJ~m Woj~iéu ,i u "'rvo v~e-me
sino sei \r:,:,ili 'l ""oc!:r 11œu j~r nismo dc'bili cbaveste-::::ij~ de treba àase
is~limo i i~begn~mo v"~oval~ s~o ds te RSK usnet~ de aei cebra~i
i da s.:, c.cirzi r-1e-djutirn 6.08.1995 goc!.in.,, œoja su"'lrusa j~ û tome
d~telj:iije e;ovor;la , œôraTi srno =-.,ek de !'.l~"'ustimo kuéu 7,boe;
"rodes hrvatJ~e 7~jsk•na ~~~~-""rivaca u iSK Ser veé ~u kom~ij~
i :!..judi Y'\Oceili d.9 nP..., 1: ... :":; . ':: .J .:,, · eo tno-:anjg. P-r:ikljucili smo
s~ tilc -n~_ : 'Z b~glica, koj a ~ei :,o\-lB c~_la iz ~SK ~ da~s~ilc · ··-·-·- ---
~~e ali ~e6 na,.,u§teno e~le ku6,, i sl. Povlacili emc s9
: ~aeceim Tè,...,,;_!::;ko G15.na, -.-:reme Dyo:ru :::ia ll!'li, da bi usl~. ne te-ti toriju
-rei"'ul~k• sr""ok~. '-- ··· T
N~_;±:;~JdJaroeta .... ead lli,a..,,~ !l.3 uni dcsihc j~ ·do ubi~:!va"'!:s . vcJn:. ke ~~sliyJ,B.deikog _V'.__Jr..o_r.n!J.,Sa u kolonu izbe-glica koj su ""oc~lc5
ie ~ju ljude zeinu i de-eu '"'v klcmi, I oni eu biH u sa-r~".l~o
llD.::. fo"T.'wama ko kowe 'l"\r~"eda, I1us'8arci iz'tolons- onù.a eu '..lzeli oruzjje
~ izasli na "o~oiaj~ ds branc kolonu kako bi kolona wogla da ee "u~u
cuH. emo daje- kiiihonA na :œkoliko meet9 bila 'l"\~ _an, unadom
~rnjnika :uuslimsnskog 7 kor-,usa ~~c,ji ru nucali .... o n&zsstié -~-r~iw
civilina i izb~glickoj koloni ~oji eu se "ovlacili. Na ~oloiaju
~adi cdbrane kclovn• je sam oetec los dan i"o do~ e~ ~olcna
ni~e- .... ovukà, a w~dju njima 5. moja ze-ne, é0:r-t:-e i 1.l.!'uk.
Kolona s~ "ovla~ils tako ito nu ~e~ice kroz kanal, ~cr~d ~ut9
i. z.·:lacili se i ,;,:. te- zon.a koja j ~ bils nB""3dnuta i ""od vatT'om.
Peel~ dva dane n~gde- u ,odne- i mi muskeT'ci ~oji smo ostali
d.a br!m imo kclonu o:!. !H3,,ade musl:taisnsk~ vciske- smo se- "ovukl~.
ja sam s~ ""o~J"lacic se au.tom i traktorcm na kom~· j"' bilo 6-7 stsriji.l-::
ljud:i. koji ni:rn mc.gli da id.u "'~s:.c~ medjuti(j tuktor se "l.9.k~U)l'l':' _io
""a sa::i '.".lcrac da ga cstavim nasr~d 'l"\Uta & octRli su ti starij:i
ljudi t,1i:1:nei"oz.naj'Jr:i1nezr?m k'oj:t su. P~ruwL:, siFü u auto j~:1110€::
r.;91 .0?: sa koj iw s9m kr,r.uo :,re-~ Dvo-ro'..l.
::~ .... rf,d oene u kolcni 1rretf..io ce ;!"dan •tre~ -t'~r G9 "r~.kolicom
7.a se-no, 1"'oji j ebio '1"11.1.n ljudi u -kome J~··oîlo_ c:..gurno izme-c.i2~15
i. 2o lj_udi, bile jo "'U!.J.. U j~è.no:n c::;om~ntu ne tralrtcr :. "':1 5..kcl~cu "'~1~ J1 gr,t:::,:;ts 1 ; l_t~~t. su ~~V 111-! ,t,._ J,,:t~J,j, __ !)Q _ yll~ .4.Ui,lu 0v}. s:'. ~~11 nao~s u mr~v1.
S3 uni.w wald,m i.zgàfeo seo iz autos i slrloni0 . se u ,jednu · n3 .... u3trnu
zg~8du, Por9d mPna, etsjao j~ jedsn n~poznati ~ovek, ~oji se
t3l--odj~ sklonio i Yideo sam d9 j~ on "'Ç)g_Q~je-n __ JJ __ nof;u ihstao jei be-z
d.ela nog?, l'-;:,aktièno ostau .te lbez ti, noge i ekc on jos n;_je bj_o
sveistan toga. J.,.d.13::l c!J'.:2:€;:i COV~k, b:5_,:· j" rogodj4HJ U C~lo bio j~
radj{'ln i krvsr5.o je iz cel_~.!
116
N~.,...ev1aje,m dni j~dnog cd ovih ljudi iz ")rkolic~ lllgji su "'oginuli
i s"'red mene,
Vijov§i u etravi gde eam sklonio ranj~n~ ljud~ tom~ j~ -.o~staklo
d.a idem œ rizik ide nt,c~kam de im na ze:radu "'ad.ne gra!lata i -.osle
?o minuta zajednc sa ovim melim na ..... uctio sem zgradu, na rizi~ u~a
u aotu c krenuo dalje da stigne kol~nu.
Kada saw stigao !~clonu ljud:i . v~é ~.'~.s~ nisu b..:. li u -,_roziliwa zbog st
lnog granstir-an.j 8 V()é isli SU rt1s5.ce-1 '1"18 ksda bi culi fj_juk grenat
oni su sklanjsli u. zaklon ..... okrej nuta, Dakle \<clona je bila
granitirane i dalj~, i r,ov1aaenju i 8ko jeu njcj bilo eRrno . · 1 . . . b. :i. •• h . e1· •• ' tr • uzv 1 d d civ, a 1 niJe . 1~0 voJn~ .; J~ i!l~ ~a . OJe su .,...r a~ c ...... 0
da bi -nre sli u rs-,...ubl:Lku ér.,...ck u -.rt-ê::ti s mu most '1.8 d'îror u na uni
i drugi most kod bosanskog nov0g i ~ada &mo usli na t~ritoroj~
re ..... ublike srr,e~e vi~~nije bila bcmbsrdovsnja i granatiranja.
Bic eaw eam rastavlj~ :, od "orddieei nisam b~o e~g1;1-rsn ko~e GVI'.' ••
"r~iiveo a koj~ nije i da li éus~ "onovo Vld~ti i sr~eti se nJ1~ ~ Sticaü me j~ sok :t uzbudjenj~ i tade sam se- slcmic zbog s1.,~[.3
~to mi se dugcdilo u tih nekolik0 dana.
U vraui~ agrsije- na .RSK lrnd svoga brata u vojni6~1 zat~kla s~ i
Rank-a Drazié, iz Vrsce, roà.j~ 11B Koraé, ta~o daje- j _ ana .,..,r,:<Siv~le
ri~~ad ne kolenu izb~glica, i -.ovlacila se sa kolonom kojiw
dogaù.j ija je- bila ranj ena • .Posl~ svega ovuga srev saw je u Y:rsc •1
i vid~oœm da iwa oziljk~ i razgovarao sam aa nj~iim bratcw
Du~anom Kura6~m.
Ka~c saw saznao u koioni izbeglica bio je ~usan _Koraé ranije iz
Vojniéa 1:1 ~8ds borevi u Vrscu, ali adre-su nez::iaw--:·----·
Ovn dv3 lica mogu ds rruze- ""odst0'1(-~ u Y'9:i.i dot:;3dj.aja ukoloni
zbcglica o c~mu ssm jà govorio.
:n9c<!' licno nisam ..... r::.sustvovao neko1n è:rugo::n dogaè..j aju i ne-ma,D
ne"03r~dna saznanj~ o drugim r9tnim zlo6i~ima, osi~ onoga stc
;am auo ~o glPsu i "ri6anj~.
Za"isni~ nije "r06!tsn j~~ svedok neleli N~wa ,...rimedbi ~a
c~drzinu za~isnika.
Sv edok
:r:rtlvtLO t-~7}
ANNEX56
District Court in Belgrade, Serbia, Minutes of the
witness hearing of Ljubica Krasulja, dated 13
December 1996

119
Kri.No. 1743/96
MINUTES ON WITNESS HEARING
Taken on 13 December 1996 before the investigating magistrate of the District Court in
Belgrade in the criminal case against NN persons for the criminal act punishable under Article
142 of the Criminal Code ofYugoslavia
INVESTI GA TING MAGISTRA TE
Ilija Simic
COURT RECORDER
Stana Mitric
WITNESS
Ljubica Krasulja
The hearing also attended by:
Public Prosecutor
Defendant
Defence Counsel
The Court rose at 10:00 a.m.
The witness was wamed that she was bound to tell the truth and that she should not hold
anything back; she was also wamed against the consequences of giving false evidence and
that she should not respond to certain questions if she would thereby embarrass herself or any
next of kin seriously or cause damage or be prosecuted as a result of it (Article 229 of the
Criminal Procedure Code), so she replied to the general questions as follows:
1. Family and given names:
2. Father's name:
3. Occupation:
4. Address:
5. Place of birth:
6. Date of birth:
Krasulja, Ljubica
Damnjan
housewife
Zemun, Cara Dusana 133, # 1
village of Pjescanica, Vrginmost
24 October 1933
7. Relationship to the defendant or injured party:
Asked to state what she knew about the case, the witness declared:
The witness was cautioned and wamed that she should tell the truth and she answered the
questions asked by the Court as follows:
I lived with my son Ljuban in the village of Pjescanica until 4 August 1995 at house No.134 ,
in the Municipality of Vrginmost, at my home.
I am a housewife by occupation .
On 4 August 1995, around 12:30 p.m., I left my village with Milan Krasulja and Milos and
Milka Jovanovic. We headed on the tractor driven by Milan Krasulja in a convoy of vehicles
formed in the village to Vrginmost and then to Glina . I had to leave the village with my
neighbours because strong Croatian MP forces encircled the village and penetrated the
120
Serbian defences on the moming of 4 August 1995. Fearing for our lives, we all decided to
head for Serbia.
The convoy was slow and when we reached Glina we were attacked by Croatian Army
soldiers by small arms and artillery fire from all sides. Many people, as I later found out, were
killed, including Milorad Dugosija of Vrginmost, 35 years old, a driver by occupation; he was
a father of three underage children. The convoy was eut off in several places. However, it
managed to leave Glina. We were attacked for the second time at Zirovac when the convoy
was split in two. We were attacked by the Croatian Army and police, on the one hand, and by
the BiH Fifth Army Corps, on the other. They opened fire from nearby forest and corn fields
by all small arms. They fired indiscriminately at ail moving targets and the convoy was
repeatedly bombed by the Air Force aircraft. There were many casualties, but considering that
it was dark, I could not recognize anyone familiar to me among them. I spent the night with
my neighbours hiding behind the tractor trailer and at a house beside the road. The next
moming around 8:00 a.m., they stopped attacking us and the column set off again for Dvorupon-Una.

When we were near Dvor the column was once again attacked in the evening by Croatian
Army soldiers and police forces, but this time they used only small arms fire. The attack
lasted for two or three hours and once it was over, the convoy moved slowly towards Banja
Luka. I am not aware if there were any casualties then. I would like to add that the convoy
was re-attacked close to a bridge and that the attack lasted until 3:00 a.m. At about 8:00 a.m.,
the convoy moved again to cross the bridge early in the aftemoon, around 4:00 p.m. I could
see from the tracter trailer in which I sat that there were many dead bodies lying in the field in
front of the bridge. I could also see parts of corpses scattered ail around. I also saw many
destroyed mortar vehicles, tractors and lorries.
We came to Banja Luka the next day. I believe that it was the early moming. We spent a few
hours there. We were then transported to a school in Uzice where we spent twenty one days.
We were afterwards moved to the village of Lunovo and from there I came to Belgrade,
which is where I now live with my son Ljuban. Ali my property was left behind in my native
village, as indicated to you previously by my son.
This is all I had to say. I heard what was dictated out loud to the recorder and I don't want to
read it again. I recognize it and sign it as my own statement without any objections.
The hearing was adjourned at 10:45 a.m.
Ljubica Krasulja (Signed)
Court recorder (Signed) Investigating Magistrate (Signed)
121
Bpoj KI1
Kp11.6p. 1743/96
3Anl!ICHIIIK O CACJlYWAH,Y CBEllOKA
caCTaBlheH p:aHa ......... J~.'.... .'~.~.~~.~.?..P..él 199 §_ rop:,rne rrpep: ............ ~.c:..~.P~~.~.?. 1.1'.'.......................... .
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y KpHBil'l!iOM rroCTyrrKy"rrpoTIIB ..... BH. ........................... :j ................................................ .............................. ................................ .
36or KpHBH'IHOr p:ena Il3 'lliaHa ........... J4 .2 .... K3.J. ........ K3.
............................ .j.-Jc.T·pa:f:-H·R-··· ............. • cyJJ:nja CseJJ:OK
........................... .it!I.>:1J..~ .... Çrin~b. .................... . . . .............. J<.p. i'l-. c_y ?.l1.a ... Th y .6. .a.u a ..
3anHCH!P!ap
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Cacnyrna:a,y cBe110Ka rrpncycTByjy n:
j 3BHH TY,!Cil'Jl3~
OKpHBJheHl!
6 p a H H JI a g
3arro,reTo y l 0.' .OO ...................... <racosa
Csep:oK je onoMeHyr .!(a je p:y)KaH .!(a roBopH . IIcnrny II p:a He cMe HilUITa rrpeli.yTaTII, yrr03opeH je Ha rrocJie;(Hl\e p:asaH,a
na=or ncKa3a, Kao H )(a !IBje Ay')KaH JJ:a o;:;;rosapa Ha rroje;:r1rna mrTaH,a, aKo je seposaTHO p;a 6a TI!Me inno=o ce6e l!.iHI
CBOr 6JIHCKOr cpol(Hl!Ka TellIKOj cpaMOTl!, 3HaTHOj MaTepIIjamrnj UJTeTl! l!JIIl KpI!Bl'l'lHOM fOH,eH,y ('-IJiaH 229. 3KII.), rra Ha
onllITa nn-ratt,a cBep;oK 11aje op;rosope:
l) I1Me n rrpe3nMe ........................................ KP§.ÇY.~9. ... ~Y9.):UHl ........................................ ...... .
2) I1Me Ol\a .......... , ....... .................................. .Uai:rn,.aH ....... , ............................................................ ..
3) 3aHHMaH,e ................................................ ;r(-Ona:hn1.:ra-········ ······ .................... ........................... ..
4) BopaB!!IIITe ............. .............................. ···3-e·M-y-M·;····U·apa····,E;ylll·aH-a: .. ·1-3-3·· .. cTaH'···l
5) MecTo poljeH,a ............................ ............ e-e-.1;:-o ... fl-j·emha·H-~Qa .. ·-BpT-M·in1oeT··· .......
6) f o.!(nHa poljeH,a ....................................... Zli';·J-O-;T9"3'3":····· ············· ................................... .
7) ÜAHOC ca OKpllBJheHiiM a O!!ITeli.eHJJ:M .......................................... ·········: .......... .......................... .
3a OB!!M CBe)l;OK O caMOM rrpep;MeTy ll3HÔCil c.i!e)(eli.e:·
122
2.-
CBe~OKHfüa je yno3opeHa H OTIOMeHyTa ~a je
~Y~Ha ~a roBopH HCTMHY, na Ha TIHTaTha cy~a H3jaBH:
Ja CBM. ~o 4.8.1995.ro~HHe ca CHHOM !y6aHOM ~HBeJia y ceny DjemhaHHQa K.6p. 134, OilillTHHa BprMH MOcT, y
CBOjoj KyhH.
DO 3BHHMafüy caM ~oMahHQa.
EAHa 4.8.1$9~.ro~~He eer~e OKO 12,30 qacoaa ca
KpacyJI,a ManaHoM H ManomeM t JOBaHOBHh MMJIKOM caM eanycTHJia
ceJIO H _TpaKTOpOM KO jH je Bè3I10 Kpacy)!,a M1rnaH CMO y .KQJIOHH
Koja je y MeDyBpetteHy y ceny ~opMapaHa KpeHyJIH 3a BprHH MOCT,
a TIOTOM 38 fJIJiHY. CeJio CBM MOpaJia HanycTHTH 3aj e~:rn ca CBOJ HM
KOMmHjaMa, 063HpOM ~a cy ce jaKe xpBaTCKe BOjHe nonH~HjCKe CHare HaJIB3HJie y 6JIH3HHH cena, o63HpoM ~a cy y paHy 3opy ~aHa
4. aBrycTa 1995. ro~HHe Ha BHrne MecTa npo6ane JIHHHje cpncKe o~6paHe. DnamehH ce 3a ceoj~ XHBOTe cTaHOBHHUH Mora cena cy O~JiyqHJIH ~a KpeHy 3a Cpôajy.
KOnoHa ce crropo KpeTana H HaKOH ~onacKa y fJIHHY
HCTa je Hana~HyTa 0~ CTpaHe rrpHrraÀHHKa BOjCKe PenyÔJIHKe XpBa:;: cKe H3 rrema~ajcKor opyxja H apTHThepHCKor opyDa, ca CBHX CTpaHa
KOjOM npHJIHKOM je KaKo CaM KaCHHje qyna MHOro ~Y,!\H norHHyno,
a 3HaM ,n;a je M~ ~onrnyzn::IMa 61-w 11 fü_Q_IlUû.§ M~,n; H3 Bpnrn MOCTa CTap OKO 35 ro,D;HHB, ITO 3aHHMaThy B03aG, O~eTheH, OTBQ Tpoje ManoneTHe ~eue. KonoHa je Ha BHme MecTa 6Mna npeKHHyTa, anH
je ycnena ,n;a HarrycTH rnHHY M ,n;pyrH rryT je Hana,n;HyTa y ~HpoBgy, KojoM npMnHKOM je npeceqEHa Ha ,n;Ba ,n;ena. KOnoHy cy HarraJIH
npHrra~HHUH xpBaTCKe BojcKe H nnH~Hje ca je,n;He cTpaHe, a ca ~pyre CTpaHe rrpan~,n;HHQM rreTor KoprrycTa apMHje EaX, nyQajyha H3 o6nH•max
myMa H KyKypy3a H3 CBHX BpCTa rrerua,!IHjCKOr opy~ja. ùyQaJ1H cy
no CBeMy XHBOM illTO ce Kpehe He 6HpajyhH QHJ!,eBe, a KOJ10HY cy TOM
npHJIHKOM H TO y BHme HaBpaTa 6oM6ap,n;oBaJIH BBHOHH paTHOr
BB3~yxonnOBCTBa. Eano je ,D;OCTa MPT~HX H paH>eHHX aJIH 6y~yha ,!18
je 611na Hoh tteDy norHHYJIHMa H rroBpe~eHHMa HHKora HHCaM rrpeno- 3Hana. HOh caM npoBena 3aje,n;Ho ca cBojHM KOMmHjatta KpHjyha ce
HCITO,Zl; TpaKTOpCKe rrpHKOJ1HI~e H y HeKoj KyhH KOja ce HaJia3Hna TY
O,D;MBX nope~ nyTa. H3jyTpa OKO 8 caTM Hana,n; je npecTao H KOJIOHa
je KpeHyna ,n;aThe npeMa nBopy Ha YHH.
Y 6JIH3HHH J!jsop_a Her,r~e y Bet.:JepmHM canrna KOJ10Ha
je I1__2.filli'-O .. ...li.~.g.,:lTa O,II CTpaHe nparra,n;HHKa XBpaTCKe BOj CKe H
nonHQHje, anH oeora nyTa caMo y3 ynoTpe6y rremaAHjcKor Haopy•afua. Harra~ je Tpajao ~Ba-TpH caTa a HaKOH lliTO je rrpecTao KonoHa je
cnopo Kpehyha ce KpeHyna 3a Bafüa nyKy. nA JIH je npHJIHKOM oBor
Hana~a 6HJIO norHHYJIHX H noBpe~eHHX HHje MH IT03H8TO. ~Enena 611
,Ila ~o,n;aM ~a je KOJIOHa ITOHOBO Hana,p;HyTa y_ 6m::t3Jl!Hli,,~I __ J1,Q.Ç,J'a'
a Hana,n; je Tpajao Her.Ile ~o 3 caTa 11sjyTpa, a oKo 8 caTH KOJIOHa
je TIOHOBO KpeHyna, .I\8 6H y TIOITO~HeBHHM qacOBHMa H TO Her,n;e OKO
16 qacoBa npemna Taj MOCT. Ja caM BH'Aena ca TpaKTopcKe npHKoJIJl!Qe
y Kojoj caM ce,n;ena, a ttcnpe~ Tor MOCTa nyHo MpTBHX JI,Y,D;M KaKo ne~e Ha JIHBa,IlH, BJl!~ena caM ~enoBe %y,IlCKo:r1:ena pa36aQaHe
cey~a yoKOJIO, TaKo~e caM BHAeJia MHoro YHHlliTeHHX rryTHHqKHX
123
3.-
ayTOM06Hna, TpaKTOpa H KaMHOHa.
Y Ea&a RyKy CMO ~omnH Her~e cne~~her ~aHa MHCnHM
H3jyTpa, r~e CMO npoeenH HeKOHHKO ~aHa, o~aKne CMO npe6aqeHH y
HeKy illKOny y Y~H~e r~e CMO npoeenH 21 ~aH. HaKOH Tora CMO rrpe6aqeHH
y Tiyeoeo ceno, a noToM caM ja ~ornna y Eeorpa~ r~e ce H ca~a
Hana3HM ca CHHOM ffiy6aHOM.
y MOM PO'A~OM ceny ·MH je OCTana HMOBHHa, a Koja
je 03HBQeHa, OHBKO KBKO j~ TO MOj CHH BaMa npeTXO~HO Haeeo.
To je cee mro HMBM ~a H3jaBHM, cnyma na caM rnac Ho
~HKTHpa&e 3BITHCHHKa, HCTH He xenHM ga qHTBM, npH3HajeM ra 38
ceoj H ITOTTIMcyjeM 6e3 npHMeg6H.
3an~1-p.;:apr- · C · 0/:' · ~ ;-- '
3aeprn~Ho y 10,45 qacoea.

Redacted
ANNEX57
ANNEX58
District Court in Belgrade, Serbia, Minutes of the
witness hearing of Dara Valentié, dated 30 August 1995

137
Kri. 1.449/95
MINUTES ON WITNESS HEARING
Taken on 30 August 1995 before the investigating magistrate of the District Court in
Belgrade in the criminal case against NN persans for the criminal act punishable under
Article 142 of the Criminal Code
Investigating Magistrate
Ilija Simic
Court Recorder
Pavie Jelisavcic
Witness
Dara Valentic
The hearing was also attended by:
Public Prosecutor
Defendant
Defence Counsel
The Court rose at 1 :0 p.m.
The witness was warned that she was bound to tell the truth and that she should not hold
anything back; she was also warned against the consequences of giving false evidence
and that she should not respond to certain questions if she would thereby embarrass
herself or any next of kin seriously or cause damage or be prosecuted as a result of it
(Article 229 of the Criminal Procedure Code), so she replied to the general questions as
follows:
1. Family and given names: Valentic, Dara , nee Majstorovic
2. Father's name: Gojko
3. Occupation: salesperson
4. Address: previously Slunj, Trg Slobode 22
5. Place of birth: Karlovac
6. Date of birth: 9 April 1968
7. Relationship to the defendant or injured party:
Asked to state what she knew about the case, the witness declared:
I was born in Karlovac and I lived in my hometown until I was 20 years old, more
specifically, in the village of Veljur , together with my parents, father Gojko and mother
Nada. I went to school and lived in Karlovac till 1994. I used to work in Karlovac at
"Jugoturbina" and I had a flat at 39 Borlin. In 1994, I left for Banja Luka from where I
138
departed for Slunj, five months later. I lived and worked in Slunj until 5 August 1995,
when I had to leave with my child.
I god married in 1987. I married Mile Valentic from Kruskovaca, near Cetingrad, and we
have a son Emilio, who was born in 1987. Until the outbreak of the war in Croatia ,
actually until the multi-party elections , I lived a normal life. I had no problems
whatsoever. When the war started in Croatia in 1991, the attitude to us Serbs changed. lt
changed even towards me and my child, even though I was in a mixed marriage , since my
husband was a Croat. In addition , I received phone calls from strange people at night.
They cursed my Chetnik mother, threatening me and telling me to leave . I receive threats
even in my place ofwork and in the street. My husband couldn't protect me.
Because of this situation, I left for Banja Luka , as I had already explained and from there
to Slunj . In Slunj, I worked at the shop »Napredak «, as a salesperson.
On 4 August 1995, when the Croatian army attacked the Republic of Serbian Krajina , I
was in Slunj . On that date, in the morning , I was at my place of work and I left because of
the whole situation. I spent the night of 4-5 August 1995 in my flat and , on Saturda y, at
noon, I joined the other Serb civilian residents of Slunj and its surroundings. I packed my
things and those of my child in a rush, and left together with my sister-in-law Jadranka
Milic and her eight-year-old son, in my »Renault 11 « car, bearing army licence plates. I
joined the refugee convoy heading for Vojnic. The convo y, which was endless, consisted
of cars, tractors and horse-drawn carts. It reached Vojnic without experiencing any major
problems. Because Vojnic was shelled , we had to detour via Majevac in the direction of
Topusko . Previously , we spent the night at Majevac. Around 2 p.m ., on Sunday 6 August
1995, we moved on to Topusko. As regards our security , we reached Glina via Topusko ,
by and large, without any problems, although grenade explosions could be heard around .
We reached the centre of Glina around 10.00 p.m. We were shelled by the Croats and
received instructions to turn back to Topusko with the convoy . About an hour later, the
convoy's security directed us, for the same reasons , to the Samarica forest, which is
above Glina, in the direction of Dvor. We travelled ail night without headlights in an
unending convoy and experiencing various troubles .
On 7 August 1995, early in the morning , at 7:30 a.m. , we approached Zirovac and came
to a Iarger hill, which is about 10 kilometres away from Dvor. Mean while, I had a car
problem, because my tire went flat, and I drove on a flat tire. For securit y reasons , I put
my child into the car of Jane Visnjic , who was in the same convoy. So, I was alone in my
car and drove on. Before that, the convoy split in front of Dvor and I was about a
kilometre and a half behind the car in which my son and my sister-in-law with her chi Id
were driven.
That day, the convoy stopped in the afternoon and the Croats of Dvor began shellin g us
in the evening. Ther e were no casu alties around me except for som e means of tran sport
being hit. The rest of the evening and the next day till noon , we were glued to that spot
when we received notice that we cou Id continue. The first part of the convoy moved on
and while I was waiting for my part of the convoy to do the same, around 2.00 p.m. , I
139
saw three soldiers in camouflage uniforms, wearing green bands around their heads and
armed, in front of my car . They beat with their rifle butts an elderly man and one young
man standing in front of a Zastava 750 car, which was some 6 metres in front of me. I
was scared and I started running. I saw a bleeding head of the elderly man who had been
hit and he fell down, probably dead. I ran for a shrub and the fence beside the road where
I lay low. I blacked out as the soldiers fired shots in my direction. When I regained
consciousness, I could still hear the shooting coming from ail sides, as well as a house
nearby in front of which there were 4 to5 bodies of dead civilians from the column. At
the same time, I heard the yells and wailing of children. From my spot, I couldn't
recognize people who lay dead in front of that ho use.
Still ducking down and crawling, I moved with the intention at first , to find my child,
because I knew nothing about him and I feared for his life. 1 ran into one of our soldiers ,
Milan Mihajlovic, from Slunj, and we went on crawling together. I am not aware of
Mihajlovic's current whereabouts. After having crawled five to six hundred metr es, we
came across Milos Devic from Slunj, his wife Slobodanka and their son Goran, who is
three-and-a-half years old. They also moved in my direction, carrying the child with
them. I don't know their whereabouts at present. The last time I saw them was at the
reception centre in Banja Luka. Ali in ail, there were eleven people from the convo y who
gathered together on our way to Dvor. I am not aware of their names or any other det ai ls.
There was a man with a two-month-old baby in his arms, who told us that his wif e had
been killed in the convoy.
I can't tell when we reached Dvor. Our soldiers transported us in trucks to Novi , in the
territory of the Republic of Srpska. I think it was on 8 August. As soon as we arrived in
Novi, Croatian bombers dropped down bombs even on us civilians who j ust arriv ed, so
we had to take cover.
I add that the part of the convoy I was in was 3 kilometres long and I believe that, when it
was eut off, that no one except for us, including a two-month-old bab y and a three- yearold
child, survived , as I already explained .
Judging by the dialect of the soldiers who infiltrated the convoy and whom I saw beating
the above mentioned elderly men and wearing green bands around their heads, I came to
the conclusion that they belonged to the Fifth Corps of the Muslim Arm y.
I was reunited with my son in Novi and from there , I was transferr ed to Banja Luka,
travelling in the car of my friend Jane Visnjic, who took over my chi Id, my sister-in - law
and her child in his Volkswagen Passat car, bearing army number plates.
That is ail I had to say.
The minute was dictated out loud and contains ail I had said. I reco gnize it as my own
statement and sign it.
The hearing was adjourned at 2: 10 p.m.
140
Court Recorder
Pavie Jelisavcic (Signed)
Dara Valentic (Signed) lnvestigating Magistrate
Ilija Simic (Signed)
141
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142
str. 2 .-
rtüdJena sam u Karlovcu, a zivela u rnestu rodJenja sve do svoje dva -
este godine odnosno u selu Veljuru za.;edno sa svoJim roditeljima, ôce u;
J.ojKOITl i. maj.Koro Nadom.u Karlovcu sarn se skolovaj_a i zivela sve ào
..L::J:;14. 6odine. U Karlovcu sam radila u 11Jugotur"oini II i irnala sam stan u
Borlinu 39. Godine 1994.• gi~li!:.sta sarn u Banja Lutu,. odakle sarn posle
5 meseci o~isla u S.Lunj, gd@ saw iivela i radila sve do 5.08. 1995.
godine, Kada sam zajedno sa detetom mor~l.a da na pus ~im ovo Liiesto.
Udala sam se 1987. godine za yalen,tié Nila iz Kruskovace kod Jetin grad
i sa nJim imam sina Emilija,'.~ rodje_n 1987. god.Lne-. Do poêetka rata
u Hrvatskoj, odnosno do visèstranékih izbora zivelasam normalno, nisam
ima.La _nika~vih _ pro _blerna. :lad j~·-·poceo ~at u· H;i::' _va·tskoj _ 1991. god i ne
dnos prema narna Srbima se promenio, pa i meni i molli' detetu iak.o sa rn
bila u mesovitorn braku, odnos:r;:o mu~ mi je bio Hrvat. Pored ostalo~,
no.5u su me pozivali nepoznati l J udi te1efonorn, psovali mi êetnièku ; ~ i . • •
i1Ja;,;irn, pretili i govorili da se moram_ se~i ti. PretnJe _su se desava i e
i na 90s.Lu i na Ùlic:..i. t•iuz ni ;,;e mogao da me zasti ti.
. . '
Zbo6 tan.ve si tuacije ja sam, Ka1:rn sa,1, na:pred navela, otis l a u Banja .Lii;
a oda tle u Slunj. U .SlunJ u sarn radila y prodavnici PZ l'NapredaK" ka o
firodavajic.;a.
;. ,. ,
Dana 04.06.1995. godine, kada je hrvatska vojska napala Republiku
Srps~u Krajinu, -pa i ·sam Slunj, tog dana pre podne ja sa rn radila i
uapusti.La radno mesto zbog nastale situaciJe • . Noé ~zmed j u 4. i 5. a vg.ùsta
provela sa,u u svorn stanu, ? µ subotu, u podne, . za j edno s.a ost a -
liû.1 Srbiwa ei viliwa iz Slunja 0i.:.."okoline, prikupivs _i na brzinu nauosn ov
j E stvari i dete, sa snahorn Jadrankow Milié i njenirn 8-godisnji 11 sino ti
n,ojim kolima "reno 11 11- .vojniêke registraci je, ukljuéila s.am se u ko-
1.onu izbeglica i krenula prèroa Vojniéu. Kolona, koja je bila ne pre gl ed
sastavljena od putniékih auto ~obila, traKto r a i za~re 6 e, stigla j e
be z proo.LeLua u VoJnié. Posta je Vojni é bio .,!;ranatiran, morali St,:o ga
obilaziti pre ko Majevca pre wa Topuskom. Prethodno srno prenoéili u
Néajevcu. üdavde St DO oko 14 6asova u nedelju, 6.b.199:).goctine Krenuli
dalJe, prewa TopusKow.
Pre ko TopusKog do ~line stigli smo ugiavno w be z veéih pro blema s t o
se t ic e nase bezbednosti, iairn su se éule e Kspldzij e granaca. u ce ntar
143
~tr.5,.-
Jiine ~~igli smq,ok9 ;?2 6a,sa. jµ , je nastalo granat~ranje od strane
Hrvata, tako da Ban9_ d,obilf UJ?,ut;stva, o.a, se ,zajedno S.?-kolonom okrenet iio
i 'vrati.~;0 _prerna foi)Ùskom. Posle ,sat .vr~ru~na , obezb~djenje kolone nas
zoo 6 sigurnosti s~;eé~ pre,ko ~urne sarnaric_e, . Koja se nalazi iznad G-line
freLna Dvoru na Ùni. C~lu noé ~tpo P1:1t,ovali bez svetla, i da k Je u
nepre~lednoJ ko.1.oni i uz razne tesKoce.
Dana 7 · û95 d. tro oko 'ü7, ·30 sati stigli srno ,)red Zirova c , .0 • .1._, .go 1.ue, UJU - ,} ,, 1:
jedno veée brdo, udaljeno ~o 10 Km. od Dvora na Uni. U medjuvrernenu
poste rui se desio Kvar na autu jer mi je pul!lla guma pa sam vozila na
fel11ü, iz bezbednosnih razloga dete sam prebacila u auto JAW'~·l'A Vî:SNJ]
éA, koJi je bi _o u Koloni ispred mene, :pa sam u koliwa · os tala sa lua i
kretala se da.i.je u koloni. Kolona je inaée bila prethodno prema Dvoru
bila razdvoJena i ostala saw ~ko 1,5 km iza automobila u kome se
naiazio moj sin zaJedno sa .snahom i njenim detetom •
. Tog dana popodne kolona je stala, a uvece su nas poèeli granatama
tuéi Hrvati iz Dvora na Uni. Ni;je bilo zrtava u mojoj blizini, osim
fOgodjenih prevoznih ·sredstava. üstatak noéi i sutra -dan do oko 12 sati
.i,Jroveli su;o na totq, mes'tu,, kada SllJO dobili obavestenje da mozemo krenut
da.1.jt.Prvi deo ~olqne Je krenuo i dok sam éeKala da i woj deo kol one
krene, oko 14 casova, is~red wog automobila v~dela sam trojicu voJnika
u rnaskirnim uniformama sa ze.1enim trak.arna oko glave i naoruzanih, Koji
su kundac-iœa od yusaka tùklï jednôi straijeg "côvek:a i jé:dnog mi.adiéa
ispred automobila marke 11za:stava 7501! koji se nalazio na uda.l.Jenosti . . ' oko 6 wetara ispred mene ~ · u-pia:sila sàin se i l)O;.;ela d-a bezirn, jer sam
videla da Je od udaraca glava starijeg coveka bila oblivena krvlJu i
da je , on · pao, verovàtno Ùlr°t'tl.V". "Pôb'egl'a s:am u ne\~o .§iprà:.tie i ·ogradu
]?Ored puta, gde sam lég-la Skr'iYajuc.i s'e~; "bvi vojnfL!i" s~ · pucali . u mou; , ., ·. , \ i
pravcu i Ja sam izgubila svest. ~ada sam dosla k sebi, Cula sam i
dalje 1-JUCnjavu sa svih strana, kao i jednukucu nedaleko od me11e isp r ed
koj é je bilo 4-5 1nrtvih ljdi· c'ivj _la ü~-'kolone. Istovreineno sam è ula
Jauke dece i kuknjavu. Sa tog mesta nisam mogla da prepoznam lJude
Koji su lezali ispred kuée mrtvi.
Skrivajuéi se i çuzedi krenula sam napre u nameri da pronadjem aete
Jer o njewu nisa;n znala nista i plaéila saw se za njega. Uz put nai
sla sam na naseg vojnika i'"lIHAJLOV±é MiliANA iz Slunja sa kojim sa m
nastavila da..1.je da puzim • Nije mi poznato gde se MihaJ lovié sada naia
Vole vri.i'-c.r D orq
144
4.-
.l:'GS.1.e 50u-80u œetara puzenja naisli srno na DEVIé l"i.ILOSA iz Slunja,
nJegovu suprugu SLOBODANlW i sina GORA.NA starog j,:5 god l na. Oni su
takocije kretali u moto pravcu noseéi sa sobom déte. Ne znarn gde se Deviéi
sada nalaze, a zadnji put sam ga videlo u preihvatno ai centru
u BanJa Luci. UKupno nas se - okupilo ll iz Kolone koji smÔ isli pre ma
Dvoru na Uni, ali njihov~ ;mE:na ne znarn, pi ti odàkle su. Med..iu nji wa
Je bio Jedan éovek sa bèbom od pva mesecà koji nam je re trno da mu je
supr~~a ubi..iena u koloni:.
U Dvoru na Uni, _ne i;ieéam ,SE; kad smo stigli u njega, nasJ: 'VOJnici su
'I
nas kamiono,n prebacili u N~vi na teri toriju Re. pub.like Sr psk e, a mis J..irr
da je to bilo u toku dana 8,avgusta. Ubrzo po nasem d ol ask u u Novi,
hrvatsK~ vojsk~ je avionima JJOêelan da bombarduje -i · na s ci vlie i z kol c
koji ~u tu stigli, pa swo worali tra2iti zaklone.
Na_fiominJem da j~ deo kolone u kome sam se -ja nalazila i sve ovo prezi -
vela, kaKo saw n~pred navela, bio .presecen u duztni 0d ok:o: -3 milo metra
i mislim da osim nas 11 rne~ju kojima je bila beba od dva mes ec a i dete
~ od 3,5 godine, niko dr1.gi ni je preziveo.
Po govoru vojniKa ~oji su upali. u kolonu i Koje sam vi dela Kaaa su
tukj_i napred navedenog starije g coveka, .kao i po zeleno J traci ko .ju
su imali preko glave, zaKljucila sam da su to bi li iirmpadnici V k orpusa
rnuslimanske vojske.
U Novom sam pronasla svog sina i odatle se prebacila u Banja Luku u
Kolima mog priJatelja îlISNJIJ JANETA koji je prihvatio rnoj e dete, snan1 ~ .
i n.jeno dete u kolima roarke 11folks'i/agen pasat 11 vojnié k,e re-6istraci je .
fo je sve ~to saili irnaia da kaieill u vezi prednjeg. Zapisnik je giasno
diktiran, u njega je uneto sve sto sam izjavila, prizn _a Jem ga za s vo -
Je~ i potpisujew.
Z.APIS.1.U GAR,
'Âlh,,;/-~~ { /1!/'v' '? l
zavrs eno u 14,10 ~a s ova
UIT_,. : lllll1 "CmlpeMeHa 11/lMM~· AA
r~ OMCrOp ·s. "f..totfoeMh. - SeorpQA
\
ANNEX59
Municipal Court in Svilajnac, Serbia, Minutes of the
witness hearing of Mile Vracar, dated 1 September 1998

147
Kri. 15/98
MINUTES ON WITNESS HEARTNG
Taken on 1 September 1998 before the investigating magistrate of the Municipal Court in
Svilajnac in the criminal case against ..... for the criminal act punishable under Article ...
of the Cri minai Code
lnvestigating Magistrate
Borjanka Milosevic
Court Recorder
Snezana Rangelov
Witness
The hearing was also attended by:
Public Prosecutor
Defendant
Defence Counsel
The Court rose at ..................... .
The witness was warned that he was bound to tell the truth and that he should not hold
anything back; he was also warned against the consequences of giving false evidence and
that he should not respond to certain questions if he would thereby embarrass himself or
any next of kin seriously or cause damage or be prosecuted as a result of it (Article 229 of
the Criminal Procedure Code) , so he replied to the general questions as follows:
l. Family and given names:
2. Father's name:
3. Occupation:
4. Address:
5. Place of birth:
6. Date of birth:
Vracar, Mile
Rade
salesman
Svilajnac
Vukovica, municipality of Vojnic
1940
7. Relationship to the defendant or injured party: not related
Asked to state what he knew about the case, the witness declared:
Warned that he was bound to tell the truth and against the consequences of giving false
evidence, the witness declared as follows.
On 8 August 1995, we left in a refugee convoy from the village of Vojnic to Dvor-uponUna.
The convoy was 15 to 20 kilometres long, consisting of vehicles , tractors, horsedrawn
carts, cattle, women, children and elderly peopl e. The convoy was eut off near
Dvor. When the Croatian soldiers attacked the convoy, they singled out 200 - 300 people,
mostly women and elderly men. They were captured and placed on a clearing. One of
them tried to escape and the Croatian soldiers shot him to death on the spot. They threw
148
hand grenades at another fleeing man , which blew up his legs. Having remained legless,
he crawled to where the Croatian soldiers were, pleading one of them to put him to death ,
which the latter did by taking a gun out of his case and shooting him in the head . Another
uniformed Serb army soldier was killed from that group. He was also singled out and
killed by Croatian soldiers who shot him in the back and he was instantl y dead. Amon g
those taken prisoner, there were Serbs in uniforms. The y singled them out immediatel y. I
was among them because I had army trousers on, having taken off my army shirt in the
meantime and throwing it away . They took nine of us out to be executed. Four Croatian
soldiers were lined up from across us. Their rifles were pointed at us, ready to shoot us,
when their superior officer came and told them: "Leave that scum alone. We have no
place to bury them." So they let us live. They held us on that clearing ail day and , in the
evening they drove us to Sisak, women in one truck and us men , in another. Ali people
born before 1935 they carried further , while those born after I 935 were left in Sisak.
Men, women and children were ail put together. We stayed in Sisak for two days. I was
interrogated from 6 p.m . till 1 :00 a.m. the next day. I was not beaten in Sisak, but I saw a
pool of blood on the floor, in the room which was used for interrogation . The following
day, I was taken in for interrogation again. This time , I was interrogated by some other
individuals. Their questions amounted to what I did during the war, where I was born and
why I fled Karlovac in 1991 to the Republic of Serbian Krajina. On 9 August 1995,
representatives of the International Red Cross visited and they registered us and gave us a
meal. We were moved from Sisak to Karlovac County Prison, two days later. I spent five
months and nine days in prison. We were beaten and mistreated there. They cursed our
Chetnik mothers; called us pigs, but mostly they referred to us as Chetniks. We were
given food, but we were beaten while receiving it, and we had to say "thank you, sir" .
I recognized one of the Croatian prison guards in Karlovac . He used to work as a police
officer in Karlovac. He came to my place in peace time, but I don't know his full name . I
only know his nickname "Macak" (cat). He didn't beat me, but was very strict with me.
While I was in prison, he gave no sign of recognizing me or he couldn 't show that he
knew me, but when I was released, he told me to say hello to my brother who used to be a
colleague of his before the war.
At Karlovac County Prison we were terribly treated. Actually, they treated us like
animais and not like people. I shared the room with eight other men. We were given
meals regularly, but our rations were small and poor. I was tried and sentenced to three
years in prison. However, I was released because I got pardoned from Tudjman for the
New Year.
While I was in prison, we were beaten. For example, a guard would simply corne in and
start kicking us with his boots in the chest, head and ail over. This was almost a daily
routine. After my release from prison in Karlovac, I was detained at a camp in Gasinci
near Djakovo for a fortnight. We were given worst tre atment there than in prison. We
were allowed to visit each other at the camp, but we received very little food once a day.
We were surrounded by 5,000 Muslims and wh en we approach ed the cauldron to take
food from it, they would throw stones and spit at us. I spent two weeks in this camp.
149
We were transferred to Serbia, to Belgrade, by the International Red Cross after two
weeks.
That is ail I had to say.
I declare that I don't want to read the minute, because it was dictated out loud and I will
set my own hand to it.
Court Recorder Mile Vracar (Signed)
Snezana Rangelov (Signed)
Investigating Magistrate
Borjanka Milosevic (Signed)
150
Kri.br. 15/98
/') '111/.oe; L: 7 1, J C . .. ::s Epoj KH .......................... .
I
3AnHCHHK O CACnYWAt-bY CBEllOKA
cacra»:beH itatta ... 1. o9. 98 I~traznim 198 ......... ro,!UU!e npen ·············-·····- '--"'------ - - -- -----
Qps tinskog ················· -- - cyna y Svilajncu ·············-·····-
r KPIIBINHmt nOCT'(flKV nponm .. ···•··········· ················•·••··········•········ ············· ················ - ---- -- -- - - ---
3éor Kpusw-mor ;i,ena H3 'tila.Ha ........... .............•.......................... K3 .
.......... 1§.t.:t:'..?JPt .................. - cyp;HJa
• Borjanka Milosevié
.,- ·
3anHCHH'lap
Snezana«xx Rangelov
•
Caep;oK
- ---··· ················-················· ············· · .. ····---······ ··············
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-- - -- - -- ··-················-··-·
6paHHnaq
- ---- - -................................................
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Cse.lOK je onœ.teHy-r ;i.a je _:zy)KaH ;ta roBOpH Hcnmy H .aa He cMe HHlllTa npehyram, ym>30peH je aa nocrremme na·
BaH>a ;Ja;KHOf HCKa3a, Kao H .!l.a HHje ,!J;V)Ka!j. na O;lfOBapa Ha no.ieJU-tHa mrraa.a, a.KO je BeJ)OBaTHO na 6H THMe H3JIO·
;i.;:110 ce6e H."IH cso r 6ru-tCKor q>o;J;IIHKa TeWKO.i CPaAIOTH, 3HaTHOj MaTepHjamroj WTeTH HJIH KpHBH'lHOM l'OH,eH.y
('l ;rna 229. 3KII.) . na Ha ormrra n-HTaH.a csenOK na.ie onrooope:
1) l-b1e II npe 3iuie ...... Mil e ... vra_c_a_r____ _
2) H.ue oua .............. Rade············ ························· ············ ··---- ············ ·········· ········ ········· ···· ·····
3) 3aHR.\taHoe
4) Eopasmirr e
........ trgovac· ··············--- - -- -····················· ········--- --
.......... u.... svila jncu ··········---- ·-·-- ~
- u Vukovica opstina Vojnié :, ) M ecr o JX>DeH.a ................................................................................................................. .
6) ro:i1rna pooeH.a ........... .. 1 .. 9'.-l:.O.!. é5.! ................... . ............................................................ , .. .
Ï) ÜJHOC ca OKpHBJbeHIIŒ H OWTeneHHM ......... I.1.~i:..:x.:-~.<i..~I.l: ....... . . ........... , ..................•..... • •.
3a osm1 cBe.!l.OK o ca.\lOM· npe.:u1ery HJHOCH cne.:telie :
151
Upozoren èa je duzan da govori istinu kao i na pesledice davanja laznog iskaza pa izjavi:
8. avgusta 1995.godine, mi smo u izbeglickoj koloni krenuli iz sela Vojniéa prema Dvoru na Uni i to je bila izbeglicka kolona dugacka oct 15 do 2o kilometara u kojoj je bio ' i putnickih vozila, traktora, zapreznih vozila, stoke i zena dece i starijih ljudi i kolona je presecena kod dvora na Uni odnosno pre Dvora
na Uni. 1-rilikom presecanja kolone i napada Hrvatskih vojnika oko 200 do 300 civila a najvise zena i staracaizdvojeno je odnosno zarobljeno i smesteno·na jednu livadu. Jedan od civila je pokusao da bezi pa su ga hrvatski vojnici odmah ubili a za drugim su bacili bombu koja mu je raznela nage. Kako je ostao bez nogu on se dovukao
do puta gde su bili hrvatski vojnici i molio hrvatskog vojnika da ga ubije na lieu mesta sto je ovaj i ucinio tako sto je iz pojasa izvukao pistolj i pucao mu u glavu. Iz ove grupe ubijen je jas jedan vojnik srpske vojske koji je bio u uniformi i njega je hrvatska vojska odmah izdvojila i ubili su ga pucanjem u stomak odnosno s ledjé tako da je ovaj na mestu ostao mrtav. Medju zarobljenima je bilo i srba u uniforma~a i njih su izdvojili c._dmah medju kojima sam bio i ja jer sam imao vojnicke pantalone posta sam bluzu u medjuvremenu skinuo i bacio i izdvojili su nas devetoricu da streljaju. Naspram
nas devetorice bila je cetvorice hrvatskih vojnika sa repetiranim
puskama da nas streljaju kada je naisao neki njihov pretpostavljeni i rekao im "pusti tu gamad gde 6emo ih sahraniti", te su tako oni nas ostavili zive. Celog dana su nas drzali na toj livadi a uvece
nas odveli u sisak i to posebno zene jednim kamionom anas muskaree
u drugi kamion. sve one sto su bili do 1935. godine rodjeni odveli su dalje anas rcdjene posle 1935. godine ostavili su u Sisku. '..i.:u su bili i muskarci i zene i deca. U Sisku smo ostali 2 dana mene su saslusavali uvece od 18 casova popodne do 1 sat po pono6i. Mene u Sisku nisu tukli ,,li sam u toj prostoriji gde su nas ispitiva] video lokvu krvi. Sutradan su me ponovo ispitivali ali druga lica
Pitanja su se svodila na to sta sam radio za vreme rata, gde sam rodjen i sta sam odnosno zasto sam bezao iz Karlovca 1991.g. u repbliku Srpsku Krajinu. 9. 08. 199~.g. je dosao medju narodni crveni krst i oni su nas popisali i dali nam obrok hrane. Posle
2 dana iz Siska su nas prebacili u Karlovac u Okruzni zatvor. U zatvoru sam bio 5 meseci i 9 dana. U zatvoru su nas tukli, maltretiraJ psuju6i nam cetnicku mater, nazivali nas svinjama a najvise cetnicim~ Hranu su nam davali ali smo uz hranu dobijali i batine i onda smo morali da kazemo "hvala gospodine".
l'ledju Hrvatskim vojnicima odnosno str:;zarima u zatvoru u Karlovcu prepoznao sam jednog koji je radio u policiji u Karlovcu
koji je dolazio kod nas u stan dok je bio mir ali mu neznam ime i
prezime veé ga znam samo po nadimku "Macak" ion mene nije tukao ali je bio strog. Za vreme dok sam bio u zatvoru on me nije poznavao
ili nije smeo da pokaze da me poznaje a kada sam posao iz zatvora on mi je rekao da pozdravim brata koji je sa njim radio u ~oliciji pre rata.
Tretman nas u Okruznom zatvoru u Karlovcu je bic uzasan i tretirali su nas kao stoku a ne kao ljude. U sobi u kojoj sam ja bio bila je nas osmorica. Obroke su nam davali redovno ali vrlo
male kolicinski i loseg kvaliteta. Dio sam sudjen i osudjen na tri godine zatvora ali su me pustili jer sam za Novu godinu dobio pomi- lovanje od Tudjmana.
152
~a vreme boravka u zatvoru su nas tukli jer se na primer
desavalo da udje iz cistog mira strazar i pocne da sutira cipelom
u grudi, glavu i gde stigne. Tose desavalo skoro svakodnevno.
Nakon pustanja iz zatvora u Karlovcu 14 dana sam proveo u logoru
Gasinci kod Djakova gde je bio jos gori tretman prema nama üego u
zatvoru. U logoru smo mogli jedan drugoga poseéivati ali su nam davali samo jedanput dnevno vrlo malo hrane. Oko nas je bilo 5.ooo
muslimana i prilikom odlaska na kazan po hranu oni su nas gadjali kamenjem i pljuvali po nama. U logoru sam proveo 2 nedelje • . uakon 14 dana medjunarodni crveni krst nas je iz logera
prebacio u Srbiju u Beograd.
To je sve sto imam da kazem.
zapisnik ne zelim da mi se cita posto sam slusao njegovo
glasno diktiranje pa isti svojerucno poppisujem.
ANNEX60
District Court in Sombor, Serbia, Minutes of the
witness hearing of Dusanka Mraovié, dated 7 May 1997

155
Kri. 14/97
MINUTES ON WITNESS HEARING
Taken on 7 May 1997 before the investigating magistrate of the District Court in Sombor
upon the request of the Committee for gathering evidence of committed crimes
lnvestigating Magistrate
Petar Beljanski
Court Recorder
Svetlana Fiser
Witness
Dusanka Mraovic
The hearing was also attended by:
Public Prosecutor
Defendant
Defence Counsel
The Court rose at 8:15 a.m.
The witness was warned that she was bound to tell the truth and that she should not hold
anything back; she was also warned against the consequences of giving false evidence
and that she should not respond to certain questions if she would thereby embarrass
herself or any next of kin seriously or cause damage or be prosecuted as a result of it
(Article 229 of the Criminal Procedure Code), so she replied to the general questions as
follows:
1. Family and given names:
2. Father's name:
3. Occupation:
4. Address:
5. Place of birth:
6. Date of birth:
Mraovic, Dusanka
Ljuban
housewife
Sombor, 43 St. Sava Street
Karlovac
1962
7. Relationship to the defendant or injured party: not related
Asked to state what she knew about the case, the witness declared:
I was in a convoy of refugees heading from Vrgin Most to Dvor-upon- Una, in August
1995. I was with my mother-in-law Stana Mraovic, who now lives at 43 St. Sava Street in
Sombor, and my child Vaso Mraovic , who was two-and-a-half months old at that time .
We were in a tracter traiter. The tractor was driven by Simo Mraovic , who was a
neighbour of mine in Golinja, municipality of Vrgin Most. His wife was also with us in
the traiter. Around 6 p.m. , aircraft flew overhead in Zirovac and I could hear the shootin g
from the forest, and the screams of a chi Id near two tractors which were ahead of the one
in which I was. The two tractors were on tire. The child yelled, saying: "uncle, please
don't slit my throat". After that, we ail got off the traiter and fled on foot to Glina . Wh ile
156
fleeing, we met a convoy of people who were also in flight. Later that day, I saw some
corpses on the bridge in Glina. They were the corpses of some six men and women. They
were mainly senior citizens. From what I could see with my child in arms, they had
gunshot wounds and their brains were splashed out. I moved on with the convoy and
reached Dvor, the following day.
As I walked like that, I was picked up by some people unknown to me, who drove in a
tractor. On entering Dvor, shots were fired at the convoy and people fled to the forest and
the river. Because I was carrying a small crying chi Id in my arms, I couldn 't join the
group which fled to the forest. Around 9 a.m., I was caught by the soldiers of the
Croatian "Storm". Together with me, 380 more civilians and soldiers were arrested from
the moving convoy. After having searched us, the soldiers interrogated us and I heard
from the conversation between them that they referred to each other as "Ivan " and
"Zlatko". They asked me where my husband was. They kicked me around my !oins, as a
result of which I urinated blood. I admitted that my husband was in the army. After that,
they asked me: "Would you be ready to eat your child's testicles if we eut them off?"
They were overheard by their mate whose name, I knew, was Josip, and he told them:
"Leave the woman alone, it's not her fault". The same man gave me some food to give to
the child and a blanket. Around 6 p.m. , three trucks came preceded by one car and tailed
by another. The aforementioned Josip put me into the car at the back of the convo y,
because the trucks were packed full. He gave me a pack of nappies and 100 DM saying:
"Buy something for the baby with this money". It was already night time when we
arrived at the school "22 Juli", in Sisak. There, they registered ail of us by name and gave
us one blanket each, sending us to various classrooms where we slept on the floor. It was
only 24 hours later that they gave us something to eat: a can of food and a small piece of
bread. I spent 21 days in that camp where I was beaten like others , once or twice a day.
The beatings mainly occurred at night. The camp guards who beat us wore police
uniforms. They beat us by ordering us to get up and put our hands behind our necks and
walk in ci rel es crying out: "for home land". Sorne of the guards kicked us with their boots
and the others hit us by batons ail over our bodies or threw leather balls at us ail over.
Three days into my stay at this camp , my child fell ill and they took it to the hospital in
Sisak where it remained until we left the camp for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia , in
an organized way.
The "22. juli" school was run like a prison camp. I spend there three days in total. They
transferred me to another school which also served as a camp, but I don 't know its name.
They did so because my child was ill. The treatment of prisoners was the same in both
"schools" turned camps. They particularly picked on men prisoners from the convo y who
were in camouflage uniforms. They mistreated us while the others from the room looked
on. They would order them to put up their feet against the wall and would hit them by a
leather ball in their crutch.
On the very evening of our arrivai at the camp where I stayed for the first three days, they
wounded Zeljko Sucevic from Vrgin Most, who was 24 years of age. They wound ed him
before we moved into the premises. I don 't know what happened to him afterwards.
157
Also, that same evening , they took outside a man aged about 70. I didn 't know him. He
was shot from a submachine gun by one of the soldiers present. I saw this scene with my
own eyes, like the others brought there . I understand that he was shot because he took
their gun with his hands and turned it towards them, while four policemen were playing
cards at the table, but he didn't use the gun.
I have nothing else to add . The minutes were dictated in my presence and I declare by my
signature that it contains my statement.
Investigating Magistrate
Petar Beljanski (Signed)
Court Recorder
Svetlana Fiser (Signed)
Witness
Dusanka Mraovic (Signed)
158
Jipoj KifpH.14/ /97
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159
2.
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CTAHA, ca,&a M3 CoM6opa, yn. CaeTor Caae 6p. 43, Kao M Moje .&eTe MJIJI. MPAOBITTi
BACO, Ta,&a CTap 2,5 Mecel,\a. Hana3HJIH CMO ce Ha TpaKTOpcKoj IlpHKOnHQM.
TpaKTOpüM je ynpaBJbaO MPAOBH'Ji CHM), KOjM MH je 6HO KOMlIIHja y rommH, CO BprMH
MocT. Ha npHKOnHQM ce Hana3Mna M ~roaa cynpyra. OKo 18,oo qac. y lKMpoaey,
qyna CaM y BpeMe ,ItOK cy KOROHY Ha,IVIeTanM aB~Q_~H M ,l\OK ce qyna nyQH,aBa M3 myMe
.na y 6nM3HHH .&Ba -rpaKTopa, Koja cy ce Hana3Mna Hcnpe.& oaor y KojeM caM ce ja
KpeTana, a Koja cy 6mia 3ailaJbeHa, .&a .&onHpe BpMcKa .zteTeTa. ,UeTe je apmnTano M
roaopHno: "~Q., HeM,.Qj Me Kna,.'Il.{". HaKOH TQra, CBH CMO CHDmM ca npMKORHQe l{
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cy ce KpeTanH Taico mTO HX je npe.&Bo,mm je.ztaH 2YTOM06HJI, KaO H Ha Kpajy KOnOHe
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KOje ce Hana3HJIO Ha 3aqa,y KOJlOHe, jep cy KaMHOHH 6HJIH npenyHH. TOM IlpMnMKOM
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160
3.
y nOMeH}7TOj UIKOJIH "22.Jyn" Koja je 6HJia opraHH3OBaHa KaO
norop, 6opaaHJia caM YKYIJHO 3 'AaHa, O'AaKJie cy Me npe6aI.lHJIH y 'APyry IllKOJIY, Koja
je Ha HCTH HatmH <pylll<QHOHHCaJia, aJIH tmjH paHHjH Ha3HB He 3HaM. To cy }"rnHHJIH
36or 6oneCTH 'AeTeTa. ÔHO je DOTIJYHO HCTOBeTaH DOCTYUaK ca3apo6.7bE!HHQHMa H y
je,&1mj H y 'APyroj "BIK01m", Tj. noropm1a. Y HcToj cy eynrr<a.PQe Koje cy 3apo6wrn
y KOJIOHH, aKOjH cy Ha ce6H HMaJIH M8CKHpHe yttH<j>opMe 3JIOCTaBM.JIH noce6Ho, a
mTO CMO CBH MH npHCyTHH H3 co6e rn~aJIH. ÛHH 6H HM Hape'AHJIH 'Aa no~Hrtty Hore
y3a 3H,.q ~a 6H HX nOTOM KOXHOM JIOilTOM Y'A3PaJIH3Met)y Hory.
Y noropy y KojeM caM 6opaaHJia npaa TpH 'AaHa, jom HCTe aeqepH
np1mHKOM ~am7r 'AOJiacKa, ~ ynac~ y_ o6jeiœ.T ~. cy CYllmH'li ~ H3 BprHH
MocTa, KOJH Je y TO BpeMe 6Ho CT1pocTH OKO 24 ro)Uœe. illTa ce KaCHHJe ~ora~aJIO
ca HCTHM MeHH HM.je IlO3H8TO. :
TaKol)e, Te HCTe aeqepH H3BeJIH cy H3 o6jeKTa MYBIK3pQa CTapoCTH
oKo 70 ro.zuma, Kojer ja JIHqffO HHcaM no3Haeana H y 11,era je je'AaH o,& npHcynmx
BOjHHKa ~ao. H3 ayroMaTa, TO CaM B}f'AeJia KaKO ja TaKO H 'APyrH KOjH cy TY
'AOBe,tteHH. KOJIHKO MH je IlO3HaTO y H>era cy ~aJIH 3aTO DITO je OH CBOjHM PYKaMB
yxBaTHO H,HXOBY nynncy H OKpeHYO je Ka HiHMa yBpeMe 'AOK cy ce 11,HX qeTBOpH~
MHJIHQajfilla KapI'aJIH 38 CTOJIOM, 8J1H HCTY HHje ynOTpe6Ho. 1
HeMaM Bmne mTa ,&a H3jaBHM, nomTo je 38IIHCHHK ,&HKTHpaH y MOM
npHcycTsy, noTnHCOM noTapt)yjeM 'Aa je y aera ytteTa Moja H3jasa •
. il~ ..! . ( li,
lt~ja,
~I \ MPAOBlfli .!{YlllAHKA
ANNEX61
Basic Court in Prijedor, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Minutes of the witness hearing of Sava Utrzen, dated 7
April 1997

163
KRI - 52
MINUTES ON WITNESS HEARING
Taken on 7 April 1997 before the investigating magistrate of the Basic Court in Prijedor in the
criminal case against NN persons for the criminal act punishable under Article 142 of the
Criminal Code
Investigating Magistrate
Zivko Dragosavljevic
Court Recorder
Zorana Vujinovic
Witness
Sava Utrzen
The hearing also attended by:
Public Prosecutor
Defendant
Defence Counsel
The Court rose at 12:00 noon.
The witness was wamed that she was bound to tell the truth and that she should not hold
anything back; she was also wamed against the consequences of giving false evidence and
that she should not respond to certain questions if she would thereby embarrass herself or any
next of kin seriously or cause damage or be prosecuted as a result of it (Article 229 of the
Criminal Procedure Code), so she replied to the general questions as follows:
1. Family and given names: Utrzen, Sava
2. Father's name: Djuro
3. Occupation: housewife
4. Address: collective centre in Ljubovija, municipality of Prijedor
5. Place of birth : village of Uniste, municipality of Bosansko Grahovo
6. Date of birth: 1 January 1935
7. Relationship to the defendant or injured party: not related
Asked to state what she knew about the case, the witness declared:
At the outbreak of the war and during the war I lived at the village of Uniste in the
Municipality of Bosansko Grahovo. That village is situated between Bosansko Grahovo and
Knin and it is some 20 kilometres away from Grahovo and 9 kilometres from Knin. It was
mainly a Serb village although there were some Croatian families living there.
That area was within the Republic of Srpska and the Republic of Serbian Krajina until early
August 1995. I don't remember exactly the date, but I know that the Croatian Army coming
from Livno attacked Uniste and that most of its population left their homes and fled in the
direction of Knin and Grahovo. Only elderly men and women remained behind and I left with
the other people for Knin.
164
I was put up near the fonner JNA barracks "Slavko Rodic" in a home of a woman whose
husband was a policeman. I don't recall the name of the street and the number of the house.
However, I know that I stayed there for about three days.
I noticed that Knin residents left their homes and fled to the countryside, but whereto exactly,
I was not aware of. On the third day of my arrivai, I noticed that the RSK Army fled Knin and
that immediately afterwards came the Croatian Army wearing chequered insignia. I didn't
notice any signs of the struggle between the Croatian and the Serbian Armies. I only noticed
that the Croatian soldiers, having entered the city, hoisted their chequered flag on the tower in
Knin, the "Slavko Rodic" barracks and the Army Centre in Knin.
The Croatian soldiers killed those Kninians and Serb soldiers who happened to be at the
bridge near the Slavko Rodic barracks or on the street when they pushed into Knin. I saw with
my own eyes how the Croatian soldiers killed a civilian filming their entrance with his
camera. Beside that man, there was a woman that I later found out was his mother. Near that
spot there was a man who later tumed out to be the man's father. I discovered that he was a
reporter and cameraman from Sarajevo. I saw that the Croatian soldiers intercepted a convoy
of civilians fleeing Knin on their tractors. The Croatian soldiers killed four tractor drivers and
threw their bodies into the river. Before they killed those drivers whom they called
"Chetniks", they shot them and threw them into the river. I saw afterwards the Croatian
soldiers bringing a group of Serb soldiers, whom they have brutally beaten and taken to the
"Slavko Rodic" barracks.
Beside the barracks, there were many dead bodies of civilians killed in the street. I noticed
that there were women among the dead, but I had not seen any dead children. The bodies were
mainly in the street which the fleeing civilians used on their way out of Knin heading for
Bosansko Grahovo. I saw about 25 killed civilians in the same street. Their bodies were lying
beside the abandoned tractors. There were also civilians killed in the tractor trailers in which
they tried to flee in the direction of Bosansko Grahovo.
I was heading from Knin to Bosansko Grahovo believing that Grahovo had not fallen into
Croatian hands. I came to Bosansko Grahovo by traversing my village of Uniste and entered
the home of Spiro Radulovic which was empty. I stayed there for 10 or so days and on the day
I left, Croatian soldiers came out of the blue and led me away to the building which used to
house the former Municipal Committee. They interrogated me, in particular they asked me
where Karadzic was, where I kept Milosevic and others, although I didn't know where they
were at the time. They also asked me questions about Babic and Martic, and I couldn't answer
them. They hit me with rifle buts. Among those Croatian soldiers who beat me there was
Kreso Saric, my sister's husband, a Croat from the village of Luka, which is a kilometre and a
half away from Grahovo. I don 't know any other particulars about Kreso Saric. After they had
interrogated me in Grahovo, the Croatian soldiers transported me to Livno and detained me in
a gym. The gym contained some 400 detained Serbs including elderly people, women and
children. I recognized there Ruza Jojic from Grahovo and Boja Sonnaz also from Grahovo.
They were in the company of Spiro Radulovic from Grahovo, who is now in the Prijedor
hospital geriatric ward. Ruza Jojic left the collective centre 10 or so days ago, while Boja
Sonnaz is still there.
At Livno, I knew a policeman by the name of Ante who interrogated me. I know nothing else
about this man except that a certain Zoran, also a policeman, sat next to him.
165
About a month and a half from the date of my arrivai in the Livno camp, a bus load of RSK
soldiers who had been taken prisoner on Mount Glamoc were transported to the stadium
which was about 100 meters from the gym. I could see very clearly that those Croatian
soldiers beat the man viciously with metal bars and that they even fired shots. After a while, a
bulldozer was driven there and I guess that all those driven to the stadium were killed.
I saw the bus carrying the captured Serb soldiers and I recognized my three sons-in-law : Mile
Radujko from the village of Stoziste, Municipality of Grahovo. I don't know the name of
Mile's father. As a matter of fact, Mile was 28 years old. The second son-in-law was Vojo
Nikolic from Grahovo, aged about 50, and I have no other details about him. My third son-nlaw
was named Zare Radujko, aged about 28 and I don't know any other details about him
either. The Croatian soldiers took al! the three of them with the group to the field in the
stadium and, later on, their bodies were brought to Grahovo, exchanged and buried. I correct
myself; the bodies of my sons-in-law were loaded onto a vehicle in Livno and carried to
Bosansko Grahovo.
I don't know for sure how long exactly I was held at the camp in Livno, but I am positive that
I was taken to Srbac from it in early 1996 and exchanged . I then came to this collective
centre. While I was at the Livno camp, I was not beaten, but I saw one day that policeman
Ante shot dead three civilians near the gym. I am certain that one of the victims was named
Dragan and that he was from Petrovac, although I don't know the names of the other two
victims who were also detained together with us. I could see very clearly by looking out the
window that Ante pointed a gun at them and fired, and they fell.
This is all I had to say for now.
I was wamed that I had the right to read the minutes and I declare that I do not want to
because it was dictated out loud.
The hearing was adjoumed at 1 :00 p.m.
Court Recorder
Zorana Vujinovic
(Signed)
Witness Sava Utrzen
Sava Utrzen
(Signed)
lnvestigating Magistrate
Zivko Dragosavljevic
(Signed)
166
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167
- 2 -
J~ sam pre pocetka ovog r~tai u tok-t1 trajanja istog zi~
u selu U""'dsta 0:pstina Bosan.sko Grahovo., To selo se nalazi izmed.ju
Bos~nskog Grahova i E':nina na udal;jencsti cd. G:rahova oko 20 kilom.e
a od lt:nina 9 kilometara~~u tom selu veinsko stancvn.istvo bile je
sr:pske nacion _;ünosti, 3i. 't'.! istcm je bio_ izvestan b:r,oj i hrvatskib.
rodica~ 1
To podr·ucje na,la.zi+o ,se je u sastavu Repu_blike Srpske i
He:pnblike Srpske Kr2.ji~e sve d.o pocetka avgi,sta 199J.godine. Ne
seaam se tacno datu.ma ali znam da je hrvatska vojska od p:ravc:..·Li,
izvrsila n.a.pad Il.a podr;1cje 1;'nist~ i veéi broj , st;..n.qvn.istva rutpust , . . -· /" ' " " ,.
je svoje knée i bez$(.lo 1:t pravc,:t Kni na i n :pravcu_ Grahova • . ü selÛ
su ostali starijil;h1di i zene, a ja sam otisla sa ostalim narodcm
Knin.
Bila sam smestena 1, blizini bi vse kasarne JN.A. ''Sl-.vko Roë
kod jedne zene ciji je muz bio m.iliciona:r. Ne znam ulicn i broj t~
kuée, medjutim znam da sam u.istoj zad:rza:n.... oko 3 d_aa._
Uocila sam d~ je sta.nov:n.istvc "!rni na rL .. pust~.lo s~voje knée
bezalo negde u 'D.n,;1-trasnjost ali u kom tacno :pravcu ja to stvarno s
ne znam~ TTeéeg d.àna od mog dolaska primetil~ sa~ da je vojska
Republike Srpske Krajine bezala. :n.ap,1sta.j11éi Kn.iu a neposredno posl
te vojske dosla je hrvatska vojska koja jeimala oznake sahovnica.
Nisam primetila da je bilo ka..'ltve borbe izmedju hrvatske i srpske v
jske ali sam videla cl.a. s1, hrva.tski vojniei od:ma.h po -ryla.skn ~ Knin
postavili sa.hôVl'l-Î c11 na tv:rdj$-"v'n u Kn.ini, I!la kas~rnu. "Slavko R0 dié f.l
n Krùnu_ i na :Dom armije u x:,..-,.in. 11 ..
Hrv·atski v·ojnici pri ~ r,lra.sku u Jfui n. u_bijali s~,
stanovnike i vojn.e srpske koji su së zatekli na mostu n
kasar~e "Slavko Rodié i na ulicia Videla sam licno kada
zateCene
blizini
s1.1 hrvatsk
vojnici ubili nekog snimatelj., ci vila koji je ima.o kameru i snima 1
je .~ored toga snimatelj;i. bila je i jedn.:.a. zena za ko~h sam ja
k:asnije saznala da je to njegova majka.. U blizini mesta bio je i
V t' d" ~ ' • • d.;.. V , jed:;.n covek za koga sam -~Ko t;Jta sa na.L~ a.a Jê o--cac o ..,og cove,;i::a ..
Sazna .la s~m d.kle d:& jé taj cc?vek s.ovina:r i snimatelj iz Sa:riiijeva.
Videla sam da su hrv:..tski Ycrjm.ci presreli k olo:nu ci vil:i koji su
be zali iz Tutnâ · kreéuéi sè .sa traktcrima~ Hrvatski vo;jnici s11 11bilj l •.
cetiri traktorista a njihova tela bacili u vodua B.rvatski vojnici
traktoristima :pre PuC&nja .11 njL1io:va tela rekli d~ s1, oni cetnici
168
- 3
a· :potom 611 p,icali ~ü. njih ï bacili su ih u vodu,reku. ~ Videla sam.
posle t·oga. da- su hrvatski vojni.ci doveli jèdnu gruP'ti srpskih vojn
koje su strab'"ovito 1:;;,_kli i s:proveli n k~saxni,. "Slavko Râdié 110 U
ulici koja :prolazi :pored kas ·arn.ê bile -je mnostvo tela ubijenih lj,
na kéjim:,,. su bila ci 'Vilna-· odela. Med.ju ubi jenim. "ja sam ·uocila. da
bilo- ' i zena. ali nisam· v-iô.el-â.0 tela dece .. Tela sû se uglavnom n .. laz;
u ulici kojom· s,1- bezali , civi.lLi·z Xninà prema Bosan.skom Gra...'lov;:i.
U i·stoj uliëi 'videla S@.$ oko· 25 u_bijenih Ci Vila: cija Su_ se tela
na-lazil;a, pored zà11stav11enib traktora. Bi1o je ,J"bijen.ih ci vila i !
trakto:rskim· prikolicàm1,a,. koji, su posli da bez-è Ù .. :pravcu·· B-csanskog
Gr a.ho va-~
Krèn,-1la sam iz' Kni:n:ii u' pravcu· Grab.o•.ra Bosanskog- preko st
misleéi da Bosatlsko Gra.hovo jos n:1rek ni;jer zanzeto od hrvatske vojE
Isla s&m. prèko moga · sela. uni-ste i d-osl..:'u !fos:Hrsko_; Grahovo i smest
se rra nlazu ,l Grahôvo u k"t1.é1,_ .Spire R-aà:uloVÎ.éa u.. kojoJ n:ijè bilo
nikoga od nknéana.. u to~ kuéi. ja sam os-t.üa oko d:esetak dàna i jed
darui ]rada:· sam i.zisla iznen'àdn-0 su · se poJr..vili··p..rvat'sk:i vojnici i
odveli me zgradu .bi vseg 0:Pstinskog komiteta--., Tam.0 sn me' rtl"vatsld
:vojJ:ai-ci ispi-ti vali- a naroci t6- s·n me pita-li gde mi je ~adzié, gde
mi j:e rr.ilosev-i-'é i drt,gi iakci' ja- nisà.m z~la gde se oni 'tàda nalaze
Pi t.ali. su me i z-a Babiéa i za !1artiéa, a.li ja tâ.kod~e ·; nisam mogla
9--1. odgovorim- .n.a ta - pi tan.ja."Tamo -su~·me 1,_da.rali k1:1nd.ad.ma od or,,zja
U toj grupi_hrvatskih :vbjnika koji sn me tnkli bio jeKreso Sa.rié
od moje- rodjene sestre , zèt, hi-vat iz sela Lnkè udaljenog od Gr-.hov,
oko jedfi,.!l ;i. po kilomet~ .. -Ne znam ostale pèd:atke za Krèsn Sa.riéao
Pos;l.e- s~slns~n;ja_ u- Grahovu.. h.rva..tski vojnici- su. m.ene sproveli u
Livno i ;:zatvo:rili u nek·a s::protsk11. Dvoz-a.nt!. U sali gde sam ja zatvo.1
bila je oko 400 zatvorem.h srba, medju kojima ~è bilo starijih
ljudi,-~ena i d.ece. Prepoznala sam tamo R11zu Jojié iz Grahova i
,B?ju _ Sorm.az tz Bosanskog Grahova,. · S~ njima je bic i Spiro Radulovié
iz Gra.~ova._koji se sada_na.lazi u .Prijedorn u bolnici odelenje
gerijatrije. Rnza Jojié je :pt"e desetak dan.a. otisla iz ovog :prihva.tn
cen~ra, a Boja. Sermaz se i d.alje nalazi '!.l :p.r-ihvat:nem eentr-,h
U Liv.au sam:pozns1.vala nekog Antn policajca. koji me je tamo
ispitivaos Ne znam ostale podatke za An.tu~ ali n d · ~ · z am a Je pore~ nJe~
bio i neki Zoran takodje policajac.
169
Posle mesee i po d-na r~c,1nQ.j11éi od d:...na m.og dolaska u taj logor u
Li vno, _ jedn.9g dan~ d.9v~zlè~ je pun a'.;tobus _ vojp.ik~ Rep't'.!blike srpske
koji sn z.1.ro:bl-jeni_ na G-1~,ocu i syi S'tl izi_sli iz antob 1,.s:i na stadi
~oji se nalaz;i. na 1,da;l,.j~nos,ti od" SJ?ortske 9-voran.e o]:co 100 metara.
Videla,- sam d.cbro. kada je _ grt;pa. brvatskih_ vcj!3.i:,ka kcja_ j~ te vojnik,
st,rahovi to r1dara1-a. s.a !'!l.etaµùm sipka~, . a b~lo. je i Pucnjave. Posl ,
kraéeg vrem_ena u to~.pravcu otisao_ je . jed«n_ buld.ozer_ · i j~ :p:retpost .
vljam da su svi dovez~~ ;iJ::t,i_jeIJ.i na_ ig:rali.stue.
_ Vide_la_ sam_ k~à}. je dosiiio ta;j a11top11s_· n_ kome Sri se nalazil:
z~0?lje?,-i .. srpski_ vojn:Lci i tamo sam prepoznala . moja_ tri zeta,
Milu ,?-du;ika iz sela ~to,ziste, __ Opstina _Grah_ovo. !4e -znam ime Milino ,
oca. :tir.ile je inRce imao oko 28 godina .. Drngi zet b~o . je Vojo Nikol.
iz Grahova stRr .oko .. 50 gidn.a a.ci es.tale podatke ne zna.:m.., i'reéi zet
zvao se Zare Radu.Jk_o sta:r .. oko 28 godina, ostale pod;atke _ne znam.,
B:rvatski ..., vojnici s,1 n.jih _troji _cu sa celom gru:pem odveli :Ela igralis
a posle tog.a teia m.ojib. ze_tova.cija .sam imena- .n..a.vel.a razmenjena su
oterana 11 Grahovo i sa..ll.!';i.nje:n.,;i. Ispra.vlj.am se--tela z.etova. sn sa ig:
lista 1,. Li.vnu_sj;avl;;jena u--voi:ilo-i j~ sant-ih m.rtve vid"ela p-. sri.
ista o.dvezena n Bos~sko -Grahovo.
Ne zn~m t~e:no k-qliko.i sam zadr.zi..n:a. u lcgorn - n Li vnu a.li
. ponz_d.ano znam da sam iz . tog logera. pecetkom.1996 .. godine . odvedena
Srbac i razmenje~a atposle toga sam dosJau ovaj sabirni eentar.
ü to}tu borav).:a. 11 logor-r 1,,11 Li v:n,1. mene rise niko nije t 1,ka.o, a ja sa
. vide la je~og · da:!1a kada je .Antë. policaJâe u bli.zini. sportske dvora :
gde smo mi- bili za't".rorem.:· u'bio tri civila. Znam po u zdano da se j ed
z.:vao Dragan i da je "isti iz Petrcw-eaje:r .je isti bio sa n ... ma zatvo
a. imena ost~lih dvojicè · n.è z:n.amt··mada su" i = oni bili u istoj dvoran
Videla sam tacno_ kroz prozo:r· kad.a ·je Ante- :pr;cao 't1·'njih iz pistolja
oni .su pali.
To--je sve sto j:a za sada ima m,dà izjavim,.·
Po'fl·cenà sam da imam :pra-v-o 'dà procitam zapisni1
izjavljujem dél.- ne zelim · jer j e isti glasno diktiran.
Zapisnicar:
r$:,·1Jc,:,->-?-- · ·
Dovrseno ·11· 13 sati.
~ l-13AAie: 111wn ·cae peM9H8 a.AMHHHCTpa4 Mja· A.A.
~3,q383'4KK C&KTOP - 6oorP3A ( 48/96)
O3Har<a 3a nopyl,!6KHy : o6p. Op. J/3/27 6
WTaMna: viwn ·c aaPQM8Ha a,QJ,OU•IHCTpa~1-1ja" A-,
fpa!t H-tlO\ C0KTOP ·s. ÎJOMOB\olti" - 6eotp~

ANNEX62
District Court in Belgrade, Serbia, Minutes of the
witness hearing of Petar Batak, dated 2 July 1997

173
Kri. 808/97
MINUTES ON WITNESS HEARING
Taken on 2 July 1997 before the investigating magistrate of the District Court in Belgrade in
the criminal case against NN persons for the criminal act punishable under Article 142 of the
Criminal Code of Yugoslavia
Investigating Magistrate
Ilija Simic
Court Recorder
Stana Mitric
Witness
Petar Batak
The hearing was also attended by:
Public Prosecutor
Defendant
Defence Counsel
The Court rose at 9:30 a.m.
The witness was wamed that be was bound to tell the truth and that he should not hold
anything back; be was also wamed against the consequences of giving false evidence and that
be should not respond to certain questions if he would thereby embarrass himself or any next
of kin seriously or cause damage or be prosecuted as a result of it (Article 229 of the Criminal
Procedure Code), so he replied to the general questions as follows:
1. Family and given names: Batak, Petar
2. Father's name: Petar
3. Occupation: peasant former
4. Address: Kaludjerica, Cige lgnjata 26 a, Tel: 487-0062
5. Place ofbirth: Civljani, Knin
6. Date ofbirth: 5 September 1936
7. Relationship to the defendant or injured party: .................. ..
Asked to state what be knew about the case, the witness declared:
The witness was wamed that he was bound to tell the truth, so he declared as follows:
I used to live with my wife Cvita in the village of Civljani, hamlet of Citluk. As to occupation,
I am a former, cattle breeder. I used to raise sheep, as well as breed and sell cattle.
On 4 August 1995, my village was shelled all day by the Croatian army from the direction of
Mount Dinara.
Around 6 p.m. the same day, my wife and I left our home with 450 sheep and headed for
Knin. We spent the next night in the forest, located between the place called Bat and the
174
village of Turici. On Saturday, we came to Manojlovica Staje where we stayed over the next
27 days.
On Monday, 7 August, around 9:00 a.m., 30 Croatian soldiers came to Manojlovica Staje
where Gojko Andric and his wife Bosa happened to be together with my wife and me. A
Croatian soldier hit me in the head and my sheens several times, while Gojko was struck by
another Croatian soldier. They interrogated us for about an hour after which they departed for
the village of Turici, telling us not to leave this place.
In the next few days, I visited the neighbouring village of Markovac, mainly to get some
bread and other supplies. I saw with my own eyes Croatian soldiers taking ail valuables from
Serb houses and torching the looted homes. I also saw that only elderly and frail people had
remained in the village - I think some 17 ofthem.
I also saw Croatian soldiers and police officers, as well as some civilians, plundering Serb
houses and buming them down, afterwards. I witnessed the buming and looting of Serb
property in the villages of Ramljani, Biskupija, Ridjani, Uzdolje, Kosovo, Kaldrma, Orlic, ail
in the municipality of Knin.
Gojko Andic, who now lives somewhere in Banat, told me that two persons from the village
of Turici were killed on their tractor, in the village of Kovacic. However, I don't know their
identity, but Gojko told me that he was on that tractor too.
On 23 August 1995, Ante Zelic drove my wife and me to my native village. The whole village
was bumt down and my house was robbed of ail possessions, and extensively damaged, while
ail my hay and the farmhouses were destroyed by buming .
On 4 -5 September 1995, my wife and I took our sheep to the farm "Burum" and left for Knin.
We had to leave the place where we were with our sheep, because I had received death threats
from unidentified Croatian police officers. The same policeman threatened me in front of the
home of Krsto Jasnic, in the village of Markovac. Having left our sheep, my wife and I spent
the night in the home of Anica Milojevic.
I would like to add that Croatian soldiers and civilians took 40 sheep and lambs away from
me, near the tunnel in the vicinity of Sarena Jezera (Lakes).
The next evening, my wife and I went to the secondary school centre in Knin, which served as
a reception centre for refugees, because the UNPROFOR base in the South Camp barracks
was too small to accommodate ail. We spent twelve days at this reception centre.
We received food twice a day and water, if necessary.
During our stay at this reception centre, I didn't hear stories that anyone had been mistreated
or killed, and there were around 370 people there. They were mostly elderly and frail people.
On 17 September 1995, with the assistance of the ICRC, my wife and I left Croatia for
Belgrade where we still live.
Cvijo Grizelj from the village of Oniste told me that, in the attack on my village and the
neighbouring village of Cetina, the following people were killed:
175
Mitar Vucak, bom in 1930, of father Mijo and mother Marija, and his wife Marija nee
Vukovic, bom in Civljani in 1932;
Mile Rogac, bom of father Marko and mother Stana nee Cmomarkovic, in 1926, in the
vilage of Civljani;
Momcilo Cmomarkovic, bom in 1943, offather Djuro and mother Milica nee Batak,
from Civljani;
Nikola Cmomarkovic, bom of father Bozo in 1917, who went missing, presumed dead
during the attack;
Boja Zelenovic, bom in 1902, who went missing, presumed dead during the attack;
Ilija Vukovic, aged about 30, who was a soldier of the Republic of Serbian Krajina
Army at the time of the attack, and who went missing in the attack, presumably dead.
I am not aware of the names of the perpetrators of these crimes, but I had heard that soldiers
of the Fourth Split Guard Brigade participated in the attack on my village and nearby villages,
as well as the Eighth Domobran Unit from Sinj.
I left behind: a house, all farm houses, a tractor and its implements, 4 hectares of arable land
and forest, about 450 sheep, 10 heads of cattle and one horse.
That is all I had to say. I listened to the dictation of the minutes and I don't want to read them.
I will sign them without any objections.
Court Recorder
Stana Mitric (Signed)
The hearing was adjoumed at 11 :00 a.m.
Witness
Petar Batak (Signed)
Investigating Magistrate
Ilija Simic
176
3An"1CH"1K O CAC/lYWAl-bY CBEllOKA
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3a OBHM CBCJ:IOK O caMOM npenM eTy B3HOC~{nehe: ---- ~ • ., C\ \If .
~f1, • ~~ ~,~\l./
177
2.-
CBe~oK je ynoaopeH ~ onoM~HYT ~a je ~yxaH
,tta rosopH HCTHHY, na Ha IlHTa~a cyAa H3jaBH:
Ja CaM ca cynpyroM QBHT0M XHBeo y ieny QHB~aHHMa 3aceoK QHTJiyK.
no 38HHMa~y caM 3eM~opaAHHK - CToqap H 6aBHO
caM ce y3rojeM ouaq, y3rojeM H npoAajoM cToKe.
naHa 4.8.1,95.roA~He ceno cy qeo AaH rpaHaTHpaJIH
npHnaAHHQH xpsaTcKejsojc~e H T0 H3 npasqa nHaape.
HcTor A&Ha 0K0 18 qacosa Maja cynpyra H ja CM0
norepanH 450 oaaqa, HanycTHJIH caojy Kyhy H KpeHyJIH y npaaqy
KHHHa.Hape,ttHy Hoh CM0 npoBeJIH y je,ttHOj myMH Koja ce H8JI83H
H3Mel)y MeCTa 3B8H0r ôaT H ceJia TypHhH. y cy6oTy CM0 CTHrmi:
y MeCT0 3BaH0 MaaojJIOBHha CTaje, r,tte CM0 OCT8JIH Hape,ttHHX
27 ;qaea.
Y Il0He,tte~aK, 7.8. 0K0 9 C8TH TpH,tteceTaK npHna,ttHHKa
xpBaTCKe BOjCKe"je A0ŒJI0 y Te MaaojJIOBHha CTaje, r,tte cy
nope,tt MeHe H Moje cynpyre 3aTeKnH jom H AH,ttHh rojKa H
&eroay cynpyry ôocy.ToM npHJIHK0M je,ttaH XpBaTCKH BOjHHK
Me je y,ttapH0 HeK0JIHK0 nyTa y npeAeJiy rJiaBe H qeBaHHqe,
a TaKol)e H rojKO je 0A ,ttpyror xpBaTCK0r BOjHHKa ,tt06Ho HeK0JIHK0
y,ttapaqa.Je,ttHO car BpeMeHa cy HaC HCilHTHBaJIH, HaK0H qera
cy ce y,tta~HJIH y npasuy cena TypuhH, roaopehH ;qa ce He
y;qa~aaaMo ca MecTa r,tte ce HanaaHM0.
Hape,ttHHX ,ttaHa ja caM Hmao y o6nH~~e ceno MapKosaq
yrnaBH0M no xne6 H ,ttpyre HaMepHHQe H JIHqHo CaM BH,tteo K8K0
npHna,ttHHUH XpBaTCKe BOjCKe H3 cpnCKHX Kyha 0,ttH0Ce CBe Bpe,ttHHje
crsapH, a noT0M cy on~aqKaHe Kyhe naJIHJIH. TaKol)e caM
BH~eo A8 cy y TOM ceny 0CT8JIH yrnaBH0M CTapH H H3HeMorJIH
~y,ttH H T0 MHCJIHM ~HX 17.
TaKol)e caM BH,tteo K8KO npHna,ttHH~H xpBaTCKe BOjCKe
xpBaTcKe nonHQHje, a H caMH QHBHnH n~aqKaJy cpncKe Kyhe,
HaK0H qera cy HCTe nannnH. QqesH,ttaq caM cna~usa~a H
n~aqKai.a HM0BHHe Cp6a y CeJIHMa PaM~aHH, BHCKYIIHja, PHl)aHH,
Y3,tto~e, Kocoao, Kan~pMa, 0pnnh, ca no;qpyqja onmTHHe KHHH.
0~ rojKa AH,ttHha KOjH ce .caAa Hana3H Her;qe
y ôaHaTy caM ca3Hao ;qa cy y ceny KoaaqHh Ha TpaKTopy
norHHyne ~Be oco6e H3 cena TypHh anH MH ~HX0B H~eHTHTeT
HHje Il03HaT, a Ha KOjeM TpaKTopy ce H CaM rojKO HaJia3H0.
23.8.1995.ro~HHe MeHe H Mojy cynpyry je 3emi:h
AHTe o;qae3ao y Moje po,ttao ceno. foToao qeno ceno je 6Hno
cnaJ&eHo, a MOja Kyha je 6Hna II0TIIYH0 0ilJ&aqKaHa H A0CTa
omreheHa, a CB0 CeH0 H CBH IlOMOhHH o6'eKTH cy 6HJIH 38Il8Jl,eHH.
178
3.-
4-5.9.1995.ro'A~He cynRyra H ja CMO oTepanH
OBQe y IlOJf>OilpHBpe'AHO 'A06po "6ypyM 1 HaKOH qera CMO KpeayJIH
3a KHHH. MeCTO r'Ae CMO ce paHHje aana3HnH ca OBQaMa CMO
MOpanH aanyCTHTH 36or npeTaH y6HCTBOM Kojy H8M je
ynyTHO MeHH HenoHaTH npHna'AHHK xpBaTCKe nonHQHje. HcTH
MH je npeTHO y MapKOBQY npe'A KyhoM KpcTe JacaHha. HaKOH mTo
CMO OCTaBHnH OBQe, cynpyra H ja CMO npeHOhHnH y KyhH
AHHQe MHnHBOjeBHh.
)l{eneo 6Hx -Jom 'Aa HCTaKHeM 'A8 cy MH y 6nH3HHH
TyHena KO'A mapeHHX je3~pa XpBaTCKH BOjHHQH H QHBHnH
OTenH OKO 40 OBaQa H jaraa'AH-
-.
CyTpB.'AàH- H T<f :y BetfeplbHM qacOBHMa Moja cynpyra H
ja o63HpOM 'Aa y 6a3H YMPO~Opa y KacapHH JyxaH norop y
KHHHY HHje 6HnO MeCTa OTHmnH y cpe'AaOmKOnCKH QeHTap y KHHHY
KOjH je yje'AHO 6Ho npHXBaTHH QeHTap 3a H36ernHQe, r'Ae CMO
OCTanH 12 'AaHa.
Xpa~y CMO 'A06HjanH 'ABa nyTa 'AHeBHO a BO'AY no
Il0Tpe6H. 3a BpeMe MOr 6opaBKa y TOM npHXBaTHOM QeHTPY
HHCaM qyo 'A8 je HeKO ManTpeTHpaH HHTH 'Aa je HeKO y6HjeH,
a qyo CaM 'Aa je Ty 6Hno Her'Ae OKO 370 Jf>Y'AH-MeQy THM Jf>Y'AHMa
HajBHme je 6HnO CTapHX H H3HeMornHx RHQa.
lAai 17.9.1995.rO'AHHe y3 noMoh MUKU cynpyra H
ja CMO HanyCTHnH XpBaTCKY H 'AOWnH y6eorpa'A, r'Ae ce H
'AaHaC Hana3HMO.
Ü'A UeHja rpH3eJf>a H3 cena OHHmTa caM qyo 'Aa cy
npHnHKOM aana'Aa aa Moje ceno H cyce'AHO Qeno UeTHHY
y6HjeHH!
- ByllaK MHTap, poQeH 1930.rO'AHHe O'A OQa MHja H
MajKe MapHje, pO'AOM H3 UBHJf>aHa H &eroaa cynpyra MapHja
pomeHa ByKOBHh, poQeHa 1932. rO'AHHe, - Poraq MHne, O'A oqa MapKa H MajKe CTaae, poQeae
UpHOMapKOBHh, po~eH 1926. rO'AHHe H3 QHBJf>aHa, - UpHOMapKOBHh MOM'IHRO poQeH 1943. rO'AHHe, O'A
oQa nype H MajKe MHnHQe po~eae 6ATaK H3 UHBJl>aaa, - UpaoMapKOBHh HHKona O'A OQa Boxe poQeH 1917.
ro'AHHe je npHnHKOM aana'Aa aecTao, na ce npe'AnocTaBJ1>a
'Aa je y6Hjea, - 3eneaoBHh Boja po~eaa 1902. ro'AHHe Koja je
aecTana npHnHKOM aana'Aa na ce npe'AnOCTaBJ1>a 'Aa je y6Hjeaa, - ByKOBHh HnHja, CTap OKO 30 rO'AHHa, KOjH je y
apeMe Hana'Aa 6HO npHil8'AHHK BOjCKe Peny6nHKe CpncKe KpajHHe
H KOjH je y TOKY aana'Aa aeCTao, na ce npe'AnOcTaBJf>a 'Aa je
y6HjeH.
HMeHa H3BpmHnaQa Hanpe'A HaBe'AeHHX KpHBH'IHHX
'Aena MH HHCY no3HaTa, anH caM qyo 'Aa cy y aana'Ay aa Moje H
OKOnHa cena yqecTBOBanH npHil8'AHHQH qeTBpTe rap'AHjCKe
cnnHTCKe 6pHra'Ae 3Hr H OCMa 'AOM06paHCKa je'AHHHQa H3 CHiba.
~
179
4.-
0~ HMOBHHe MH je OCTana Kyha, CBe IlOMOhHe npoCTOpHje, TpaKTOp H CBe npHK~yqae MamHHe,4 xeKTapa 3eM~e H myMe, OKO 450 osa~a, ~eceTopo roae~a H je~aH KOH,.
To je cse mTo HMaM ~a H3jaBHM, cnymao caM rnacao ~HKTHpae,e 3ailHCHHKai HCTH He xenHM ~a qHTaM~ na ra Kao
CBOj IlOTilHCyjeM 6e3 npHMe~6H.
3aspmeHo y il, 00 qacoaa. · ·
·I
~~~

ANNEX63
District Court in Leskovac, Serbia, Minutes of the
witness hearing of Milan Berié, dated 23 September
1996

183
Kri.
MINUTES ON WITNESS HEARING
Taken on 23 September 1996 before the investigating magistrate of the District Court in
Leskovac in the criminal case against NN persons for the criminal act punishable under
Article 142 of the Criminal Code ofYugoslavia
Investigating Magistrate
Mihajlo Petrovic
Court Recorder
Zivojin Stanisavljevic
Witness
Milan Beric
The hearing was also attended by:
Public Prosecutor
Defendant
Defence Counsel
The Court rose at 10:20 a.m.
The witness was wamed that he was bound to tell the truth and that he should not hold
anything back; he was also wamed against the consequences of giving false evidence and that
he should not respond to certain questions if he would thereby embarrass himself or any next
of kin seriously or cause damage or be prosecuted as a result of it (Article 229 of the Criminal
Procedure Code), so he replied to the general questions as follows:
1. Family and given names: Beric, Milan
2. Father's name: Jakov
3. Occupation: steel worker, unemployed
4. Address: village ofBelanovce, municipality of Leskovac
5. Place of birth: Varivoda
6. Date of birth: 23 August 1951
7. Relationship to the defendant or injured party: not related, wamed under Article 231,
paragraph 2, of CPC
Asked to state what he knew about the case, the witness declared:
I was bom in the village of Varivode, in the municipality of Knin, where I lived with my wife,
two underage children and my mother. I worked at a rolling mill in Sibenik and my wife
worked in Dugi Otok, near Zadar, in a canned fish factory. I had some land and farm
machinery. When the war broke out, I was called up as a reserve soldier and I was on
positions in the area of Dmis when the Croatian army attacked, at the beginning of August
1995. The Army of the Republic of Serbian Krajina left its positions on 6 August 1995, and
so did 1. I came home to my village and my mother Vukosava told me that - since I was away
six months and had not heard from my family in ail that time - many villagers had left their
184
homes on the eve, during and immediately after the Croatian attack. My wife Lenka, too, left
the village with oursons Sladjan, who is now 14 years old, and Zoran, who is now 12 years
old. I didn't know where she and the children were and whether they were alive or not. My
mother Vukosava, who is 76 years old, was sick, so I decided to stay with her in the village.
There were some 13, mainly elderly and frail, people in my village. On my return to
Varivode, I saw that many houses in the neighbouring village of Djeversko had been burned
down. That village had a post office, a surgery and local community centre. Ali these facilities
were putto the torch by the Croatian army, as well as a number ofhouses in my own village. I
had to hide in order not to be caught by the Croatian soldiers or policemen who frequently
visited. So, I slept on hay in a shed. From time to time, I took a peep out and saw Croatian
soldiers looking for something. I dared not venture out, as I was afraid that they would arrest
me and even kill me on the spot without waming. I also feared that they would torch this shed
as well. Croatian soldiers and non-combatants coming from neighbouring Croatian villages
came to my house and took away ail my farm machinery, my furniture, even my own clothes.
They took away one smaller and one bigger tractor, my "Stojadin" (Zastava 100) car and
everything I had in my home. People used to put white headscarves on the gates of their front
yards as a sign that someone was in and that these houses should not be set on fire.
I stayed in my village of Varivode up until 5 February 1996. In the middle of August 1995,
Boja Milosevic, aged about 35, who was married in the neighbouring village of Prebir, came
to Varivode. Her husband was Bogdan Milosevic. She visited my mother and slept over at my
home. I found out from her that she had returned from Knin. I didn't know the reasons why
she came back, but I think that she probably accepted to spy for the Croats and to let them
know everything that was going on in the village. She used to live in my village before she
got married. She had two brothers who had houses and other property not very far from my
home. She was staying at her brother's. She also hung a white scarf on the front-yard gate, as
a sign that someone was in. Despite the fact that the houses displayed white scarves, Ustashe
came and took away many things from them.
I can't recall exactly when it happened, but I think it was in August 1995 when Boja came to
my home in the company of one Ustasha, who was around 23 years old and whom I didn't
know. This Ustasha wore a uniform of the Croatian army and had two hand grenades around
his waist, holding a submachine gun in his hands, and had a knife around his belt. My sister
used to work in Germany, so Boja had probably told this Ustasha that my mother had some
Deutsch Marks. I hid in the shed on the hay. The Ustasha began maltreating my mother and
hit my mother with a wood club that was as thick as an arm of an adult, and was about three
meters long. She asked her to produce the Deutsch Marks, but she didn't have them on her.
Boja knew where I was, so she ran for the shed and called out my name in order to corne to
my mother's help. The Ustasha noticed it and followed her, which was why I was forced to
corne out. Theo, the Ustasha punched me very hard around my left eye and ruptured my
temple and caused laceration under my eye. He then started to beat me with a club ail over my
body, asking me why I stayed at home and why I had not run away with the others, and where
my Deutsch Marks were. He just found 150 dinars on me. He tore up the money, saying that it
was no longer valid. I managed to take his ammunition case and he asked me to give it back
to him, saying that he had a bullet in the barrel in his submachine gun and that he was going
to shoot me. I eventually returned the case to him, and he said that he was not going to kill
either my mother or me, for the time being. He vented his anger by firing a burst from his
submachine gun at my flock of sheep, killing 20 of them, while the others fled. He left
somewhere for a while, but returned again to beat my mother and me. I was afraid that this
U stasha would corne with some others to capture me in the next few days, and take me to
185
prison or even kill me. So, I hid myself. It was only the Croatian policemen who came. They
ill-treated my mother; they put a gun to her head and asked her whether she had a son and
where he was. She replied that she only had daughters. I think it was 26th August 1995 when
people from the Red Cross came to the village to distribute flour, candies and cooking oil. My
mother Vukosava went outside to get this aid, but fell in front of the yard, since she probably
had a brain haemorrhage. An ambulance happened to be nearby, because they came to
transport Mirko Dobrijevic, who was almost totally blind and had leg prosthesis. They drove
my mother Vukosava to hospital. On 14 February 1996, I found out that my mother was taken
to hospital in Knin where she is still being hospitalized.
Apart from me and Boja Milosevic, there remained also Jovan and Milka Beric, Rajko Beric
and his wife Mara, Marko Beric, Jovo Beric, Spiro Beric, Dujo Dukic, Mirko Pokrajac and
Mara Dukic, as well as Milan Pokrajac, alias "Brkas".
Only Sprio Beric and Milan Pokrajac, also known as Brkas, knew that I was at home. The
others knew nothing about me. Having remained alone and being afraid of going out and
getting in touch or seeing anyone in the village, I cooked my own food and left the shed only
at night. My house was bare, without doors or windows, and had no fumiture because
everything was stolen either by looting Ustasha soldiers or by Croatian civilians. I saw Serb
bouses buming in nearby villages. Ustashe also putto the torch bouses in my village. I also
heard gun, mortar and machinegun fire. Croatian warplanes constantly flew over my village
and the other neighbouring villages, but they didn't drop bombs because they knew that there
were Croatian soldiers on the ground in these villages. I raised piglets and goats that were not
taken away from me by U stashe. I tendered my meadow and fed my cattle at night. I also
grew vines and had 4,500 plants. I paid attention not to be caught. My yard had two entrances,
one main and another side entrance and, as soon as I spotted U stashi entering the main gate, I
would get out by the side entrance.
From time to time, I had encounters with the Ustashi, but since I was in civilian clothes, they
would ask me where I was from and I would lie to them that I was from the Croatian village
of Lisane. I also used the "ikavica" dialect, so that they thought I was Croatian by nationality
and left me alone. Those encounters were quite by accident. Once I met them in my vineyard
while it was raining. They asked me what I was looking for, and I told them that I was looking
for my piglets.
At the end of August and the beginning of September 1995, I visited the house of Jovan and
Milka Beric, who lived in the same village as I did. They told me that their daughter, who was
married to a Croat and lived in Split, came to visit them with her child. Their son, from Split,
also visited. They brought them food supplies and they felt somehow safe, because they had a
Croat son-in-law and thought that they would not be harassed.
I believe it was on 28th September 1996 around 4:00 p.m. when I spotted several uniformed
Croatian soldiers, wearing submachine guns and knives, going through our village,
spearheaded by Boja Milosevic. She led them from house to house, and only to those bouses
inhabited by persons whom I had already mentioned. I can't tell how many Croatian soldiers
there were, because I hid myself in the shed and watched this scene by removing a roof tile
from the shed. I couldn't tell why those Croatian soldiers came to the bouses of my
neighbours, but around 8:00 p.m. I heard machinegun fire and the voice of Boja Milosevic
shouting: "Run, Milan, run". Shots were fired and, after a while, they were fired again at
several intervals.
186
I forgot to say that I told Boja Milosevic - when my mother and I were beaten by that Ustasha
in my home and when he killed my sheep - that she should not mention my name in the
presence of Ustashi or that I was at home, because had she not revealed that, we would have
surely not been beaten, either my mother Vukosava or I.
Perhaps because of this warning of mine, Boja didn't bring those Croatian soldiers to my
house, but actually brought them to the homes of the other villagers. I descended from the
attic around 10:00 p.m., but the Croatian sol di ers didn 't visit my home that night. From then
on, when Boja cried to me: "run, Milan, run", I had not seen or heard from her on any
account. Perhaps she ran away someplace. While she was in the village, I saw that she had
proper documents provided by the Croatian authorities. She was an amoral person. She used
to live in with elderly men. She drank a lot, so the Croatian authorities recruited her to get
hold of some information that was of interest to them. In the next few days, I learned that
Milka and Jovan Beric were massacred by the Croatian soldiers, in their yard, and that Mara
and Rajko were also massacred while sitting in their car, parked in front of their home. They
were found by Mara Dukic, who now lives in Belgrade with her daughter and son-in-law.
Mirko Beric was found in his home, with his throat slit. Jovo Beric also had his throat slit.
Spiro Beric was discovered by his sister Stana, who was married to a Croat and lived in
Sibenik. Dujo Dukic and Mirko Pokrajac were also found in their homes with slit throats. The
bodies of all these people were transported by the Croatian army to Knin, the same night, on
28th September 1995, and buried someplace. Immediately after the massacre, I came to the
home of my neighbour Dujo Dukic and saw traces of blood in his home, being blurred by the
oil spilt over, in order to cover up the leads. I was gutted by what the Croatian soldiers had
done to my neighbours, so I didn't go into the yards of the other killed neighbours of mine.
The following day, Stana, the sister of Spiro Beric, visited the village, wearing her morning
clothes. She wept and I concluded that Spiro had been killed. Incidentally, I did not witness
the killing of all these people, but after the shooting of the other night, these people could not
be seen in the village the next morning. The only one who survived was Milan Pokrajac, aka
Brkas. I did not see a single Croatian soldier led by Boja, nor could I recognize them.
On 5th February 1996, I went to the forest, which is near my village and about 200 metres
away from my home. I was more relaxed than usual and since it was very cold, I made fire to
get warm. The Croatian soldiers came from the back. They had machineguns, knives and hand
grenades. I didn't know them. They asked me what I was doing there. I replied that I was
getting warm. Then they asked me where I was from. I lied to them that I was from Lisane.
They didn't buy that, and they asked me to produce any ID, which I did not have. They
searched me and found a hand grenade in my pocket. They confiscated it. A few hundred
yards away I had a rifle without ammunition, which was hidden in a bag. They confiscated the
rifle, too. They led me then to a vehicle parked outside my house. Another uniformed
individual was there taking my persona! belongings and other possessions, and putting them
into the vehicle. I couldn't tell them it was my home. Perhaps they already knew that, but said
nothing to me. One of the soldiers told me that he used to work in Switzerland and the other
three soldiers were originally from Rupe, which is populated by Croats and is situated near
Skradina. We set off for Rupe and came across a Croatian patrol. They handed over my rifle
without the ammunition case, but they didn't turn in my hand grenade. I was interrogated at
Skradina for four hours and was then transferred to Sibenik where I was detained at a
barracks. I was interrogated in the District Court. There I met an individual whose name was
Milan, who was from Sibenik and with whose father I worked in my company. I was detained
in Sibenik for four days. I was not physically mistreated, but they threatened to beat me up or
187
physically and mentally torture me, if I didn't tell the truth. The newspapers "Slobodna
Dalmacija" and the magazine "Arena" published articles about me as a war criminal. Since
they were refurbishing the prison in Sibenik, I was transferred to a prison in Split (Bilice ).
When I was admitted to that prison, a prison guard, whom I didn't know, kicked me very bard
in my testicles saying that I surely massacred people at a place called Kabmja. I told him I
had never heard of such a place and that I had never been there. I was held up in prison until
the beginning of June ofthat year, when I was released, having been pardoned. There were 80
other prisoners with me, imprisoned in Split. Only eight of us were released. The others
waited for trial in prison. As regards the treatment of prisoners in that prison, I can say that we
were not physically maltreated, but that we were mentally tormented.
After I had been released from prison, I came to Serbia and was reunited with my wife and
children with whom I now live in the village ofBelanovac.
That is ail I had to say. I listened to the dictation of the minutes and it con tains ail I said, so I
recognize the minutes as my own statement and sign it.
The hearing was adjoumed at 12:45 p.m.
Witness
Milan Beric (Signed)
Court Recorder
Zivojin Stanisavljevic (Signed)
Investigating Magistrate
Mihajlo Petrovic (Signed)
188
3Al1MGHMK O êAGIIVWAt-bY CBEllOKA .~-· .. . . ~·· .
. 23 e " temb 1- 96_ ---.. -. _ ....... i:::tr v~nim
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MihBjlo Petrovié Berié Mil:3n
.St'?nis r·vlj :::vié "ivojin
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cpo,oauanm:ojcpu1111W. -~ ~ --• lik .• )j::,- -.~ .... 229,. 91(11:), aa a oaatra mmm.a
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189
190
,r.,.v :~""':~ ... vo~·s·.ke, '.( .. 6 i., zn no .j~ ,'!" .. cm n,.'.).'..O- dve b-c--r:ibe n u ru :: tl':· sutun ,,- .t.•- V - _ .. ,.., • tJ · -t'°"~ _ \,11:W ., é V -- - - _ .
tsku pu,~l:u SD c.l:v.::.rcm i_no.zem.--M'!-4U koji j0 biei Z8dcnut z:c o:.--·s'.)èem.
Mr/J~ r _i.,djst_lr.> s~ztra __ ~e rf di! ___ â;~J•e.x:iack~j te j:: cv;1 ~Boj a· ve::-ov:-tno
oyom, q~--tasi ,pr-efle~a. 1 l;'elt.l,, èlf;?•P,a. lll,eJkl! ___ iJs 11e11se~œ mir~e:Ja som . se. sskri.O--.ll pOJt1;l. n~, Sd."1' ot:;,ë Ust S., ··.· C o . __ ffl<!L,ret1. me ·u
ll'leiku P.o. ife je. dJl.·· 1.m drve.nim. 5(}5~ ... eblJ.· ine .. i::u e 01~sslog cove ~ c
ë[ufin~ 1:>ko 3 :inetra 1fdq~ao · 10;i:1rt e;ak,u ~ o~ n Je t;azio mai;k~, oh. . one marke lto(l sebe niae. fms!'ta-.· ~a BoJe Je snsla gde se ja nsl3z1.m
ps je -eott'cale • Pr~ills ~Pjati l 'pf:>C,la ~n. me d:0ziv@ ds bi ~a pri~c;keo
u pomoc màjci-, a ovo Je ustas• , pr1met1.o Pa je poorio ~c nJom i Ja ssm
· bio· ~rimor~n ;~a izry~ ~~m iz ~po~a;e .• , ~hde j~ ~va~ u~t: ~D m~n~ j~k~ , __ ;,,,~m1c<'m u; 0r1.o u predelu le .Yitr oke, 'P'" mi . Je r~sekBC ar, .:,uu 1. i10 - ·
n;c pose't:t:,ti.l;lU is'[;Ocl. oka ,- 3 ondo je drv ;)Uim-- ko3:,Cem po;.,;c f,? ds mq l_!'.i ~ r!'
;zvud 3 :.-·o tolu i .1>it,;,o l1tè Z'=-:;§t~ §•SJW jo 03t~o \tu\ji,. ~e ,,zs s~o __ n~sc!,l)
P::),S.:Stiô sa. c:-:r;;"l:i..m~, ~de r.:;u J.g1 ma~~. Ko~ l!_~u.e ~~ -n~:s,;,o J.?v ~:i.n· -·e'."
p:, je t 2-j nt:v -:c p vc:;p::'i;t 1::;0•1 c-r::;:~:i. __ qf3: tri J 11+:v~e .. v:,;.i,:,;;e "ne v-~1. .J :'.' r: i m
ui.,.-p~o- de mu. a~,'!DJ . . olcv1r ~~ .. -mun1tciJ0.m1 Pa ,Je QQ, trsz.io de mu n' ;i ra
jor iua metr:lt u e ·,?V od ::utoo· .~·take p~iîi-ke :i d,e : ~e ttie ubiti, to s:_;m mu
j 9 ok?il' so municijum vre :;io, e on j ": ;;;ovor1Q : d : z::. s ·d;;; ·n,::;ce da . ubije niti mdne niti m:,jku, rà. js svo~ bes ist:;lio t ,:; ko ito j -: iz
.--ut'n;;i;:Jtoke pu.;k,".'I pooeo dr, PU;C . ù":" ~···-:J O .(; ·0 '---;,,o .'.) uhio
a,o ~v:;c; dok .su~ee o,;t;;:;le .r3z Et.zâle. Zs tranut::~k je nee;-cie ot;:_ :;:~? ih
1 se \)vnov~ '.1/~4-c .i.p~f ,PODOVP 'ae. ~1\ç;sg l/J.9Pe tthJÏku. ~,Ja: s~m· se ·UPL>J~·o
dp ~-(} mo:t.cfo Jl;i~eô,~~g,, .f,n,:; i_;~?~ us .~cb, ~?':J. .$G . jo<.l. m:;kJ.ma. dr. me u .1~::)-
~e ?- d:. ~e 9.flê:d~,,-~,,:~~v~~,;4ll:- m~q .:; u,01J~, :Po, se1!1· .s&J. kr.1..<:?• polsz~l· :
Je .Trv,.tsk :c1 -pelle Jd ~ ·st1 ·11H>Ju ~-t-~~E-l.:i.,:,.AJ:1.r"fY-!Jt.,b. su JOJ i
c e v o --~ pist ·cJ.J a no .é~lo 'i pi;; .,._ . ·-·,ç~~: ;t ,,;~ se n::ilr::zi :
e ·on['. j.::;; i~ov--ur--il. .e, ·de ima os1~C J.1?r c. s. -m ::!·: j; o.ilo 2·:i.:,v _;ucta }995;god. ~sa.:::· stf ,u ,~cl:u ,do.ls~U 1-~uai i-z drv:,ûbg ::rr.;tn d:- 01--
pcdelil,; brosno:, svece, ulj·e, --t~,, je mo,:re ma jka Vukt>o--vr: ize i.:l·; i'"')X'ed
· àvo-i,;t~ d· --bi · pri:lüla ovu ~c, ,'.,li j'J tu irprr:~l do11 ri-stn p.:;,J..r: - . ··1 ,.d .,. 1r .... . -- · k ' -~- ·1 Jer J~ 1.m:-. !" V-:i~J a _1Z~l.V ~V,J.: µ ffi8Zf;U, PP -_.-,,:o su BOU· l),ll.ZlD
ilt1iil:? ooln~?~-=q ~oJ~. k°-".jo ~~ d'~~ls _d r. -P.fêY~Jl: Dobrijevi c ,:i i.~-k'"3 dü
bulnice, iCOJJ,. Je bio got;pvo . slep 1 nur.;io . prcte:zu ~:;,': nozJ., to .eu
mo_ju-m~-;jkil V'lïJi::0$:,:r;µ · $1\~stt ·.i u boltli5 :cf'l lccl;:,,. i negde odvezli. «:in
s"'m 9-i,112 1~ .~.·l't~§;g·o.d.- sazi:l:c;:') .,fo = ,6e moj[! mrâ,ka odvo b,ana u bc.:lt1icu
u Kninu ·;d~ sé i a~ilr n~;lezJ,. . . : ~- --, ·~ "J:C !iit;.,+Q_, _ "Qoi-e~t, î¼n~ i Milo~ev~.é",.}3oje, o.;; t;ûJ.i gu. br · cni
:.,,,r l}sr ic ù,.v,n · i_l'!iikà, Ticii0 _ijnj~o.i njoz:ov3 . ;::u::;tugs -l"Isre, i
.Jeric H3r}:o, Boi.•ic Jo,-;o, !3::-ri~, i:ipiro, "'':i)ulci~ Dujc, "'.1:'okt> j 6c Mirko
i-!)u1d·~ M..,ra,kso i-Po} ;r :_:, j~c R,it-0n, zv. 11Drkasu. , ·
.· . q~r,li : .. ~~ dà Si_l:q J? ,Jt 1..d sv9j~ ku0e . jmdirlo B,~t-iô Lpiro -i :;_,,;::r --.j~c Ml ~?ll.·.~--v:~11Bi-k3.S"",.·Jt~'J ·ost~lf,tr:i, :a\t:~eli .. ~D /aJenê~ Po :':to
· ;ül ôs ': ~o" sàm ·tt·· .. ·•.·jtt,s'iW .. ·~sfe· ·.9 ... ·.ü ·,;:s.~ l~.;dc .. 1..· zil_~.:,zillf i,chf".': se~.niJk. ome j--vl · rm
ili s~ nekiinà" qruZiiµ,: :·Jg .,sàJ;rl ,.à ;piivtlem 90 br~u i t:G :p;:-eko n,,c'.:i v
i krio $0-111 98 i to prj-"",~ô dsîl . .-t ,g ·poj~tu a n oéu ,,:,.rn lzil <iZÎO iz D;.;-i •te
Moja lru~~. o~t~l~ j~ j.5rf.}zh::. Nij~ bilo vr r:to nitf ·prozo~a niti ft--t~;-
· st: ; j · n!ti bi-lo lti;kv·ih s._v8.ri ~~· ·je svn t ü bilo skinute i 0dn8-:Sono
od ust~ake voJske :t~civila Rt'v-~t~, . _koji su _ sy~ gvo ?dni;sili. Vi:lco
?om do. su _r;cra):~ ku..;e S.tPak\:-,~ .:,~ivlJs u B:UsêdBl:.1! ~J...~, ·"' g,--l~nc su -~ gor1;::l~ su !u~e . i '! n3:c;am s~;tu od stt'Bn~ uc~os~. èul.? se puonj ,!Va . iz toJova, m1.n ... b,1cec;:i •. pu~a,lta. a. H1w.:'ltok"1. avioni eu s ~rylnc- n -··1,-,t 8l 1
.ino~e _s,zlo l,r.:to· i c r;t~lo .... :~e1:f,, .. g}-J: :P:~b.e , ni1.3u b ecnt: 'J ~~ · -w.iu~ 2 jcr su
on~ znoli ~'! ~ .U ~-?1:f~B KoJa iS~ Jl,·d~~t ç1~. nsl;:.z1.· nJJ.ih ,V~ L.rv tck e
VOJS--~8• ~a~ _.lO 8~ . s:s.tnu ·e~assd l. ~?r1.Ce !rnjs S~w ÏID.;;O '.'! k ü ~e mi nisU
l_lZ<::tl. US~ ~ :>9t. - 'Pp: ssm. UVOCe kosi-O ~l.V :;SU l. ob-~llJ.O stcku, . ~ U:l · 0 G·::Tn
i o.:::~ ,,4 ·5~1.t . .cf.', l'~al.o saœ se 1.. kr1.o ds. 1,1-é,.l,l:gr' Uhvnter, :., u mnj3
dvoriute se u . . · ... . ,Pc~èkO dVa ule.zs l to c;:!.-:vnoz i s-PorednoG, te k --a3
bi jr, "?r1·m.etio dt u.-st1fse ulaze u,.-' r:;lDvni uL -:z ;!1 b:i. 0dm~h ~~r ·.~:0 ..,.,...0 _ •n ·v .· u -z~ pt.:SD""g~o . -, · . · u .. • · "t:'
~e-., '<; . ç , - J~ ._; .. ~ ... ·.~ ·
191
192
su cam,jb te- noéi 2'i9,l.995,'gpd• Gd str~,ne frrv~tske vo.-:is::-e -pr ~·b'"=ceni
ù ~nin i ~osde tim:o @&~~,J$ni. 9amg~ 11okou _do~sa4aje ja sal!I.
odla z1.o kod lëue.e mi:Jg ,11e~fj~~a ~ie DUJ~ Pa s3m = u n Jesovoj kuc1.
vi~eo tragoye Igi __ Pr __ ei:_? }t _-_·o_~_ i~ t _t:Dg __ ova jfl razœa~sno ulae .. ~s ~i se
ovi troe;ovi P~ . · .• iit. Bil:e .:a} ~~ ~esko .,zboç sveg-:; 0 1,oga St,O J~,,
rrrv..;~ska v_o;j~ u01uile _ -.. Pt!~ ae>jim me~t~n1.l!1~,. t..,ko ·d·s __ u. dvori?ta _ i kuce ost!?-lllî•mojih ms~t~-• ~oji su ubiJeni nisam odl,gzio. ;._;u,;rc-dzn
nakon _ ov_ 9& ,4,og.-:;~ jejs k~d -_ku_. oëBerié §pi~ ~~lszil!-'] jè . njo :~uva . se~~tr3
st.--na pa J• nosiltLCrninu _i. .pl:r:-rk:aie je l. J -~ ssm t'O tome ZBklJu -. :.o
'.O'.J 'j.e ·ôn Ubijeth ·- l.n:3ëe ja --l.~~no nJ.sCJm vi9@0 k:::(j2 ·su- sv; GV:: lie::
uoijen~'; ~-~ tlF"kPn ope P.ucn.;jpve i one _nue?:. sutr".>d-:!n ~ solu o~in
lic 3 DlJG 01:'10 1 a- sD.mo Je ozt ; O Pokr ·,::; c 1·JJ..len 11J3rk:::s 11• J ·· ni
jedn,.,: oJ onih .. ilrvotsidh vojnik"l kcjo s:Jm vi:ko - -k.::j: j '., v, ,:_L..L_,
Iloj;3, ~-ri."-sf'.lil mor;,:,o ds -pfgpozn~.. ._. . . . _ . . D:-:na 5.2 •. l79~god. 1.~sr;;::-0 s~m u :c;u;;:i1 b:.J:- zs n·.,.:. :zi
u s':lm0g !C'a:l.u u,.>ljeno od moje ·ku,; 0 z:-- o;co 2(;û oqtnr-, t) s"m se
rJJlo o;u~tj_o pn . k'-?t{O je oilo _.llloc'ino j-- S,:;m z·lo~ ~o v".!·:;I 'U r1 '.)i se
w!JlC (~·roj~ jO• D-k -s~m se :0:re~jO meni tu iz ·; l~dj:'! docli H:-v-l;::;~d
vo::n.i_c1 koji su bj .li i.t unitot'.'meme ilrvstske vojske i to njih t;:,cjice
n,-,wrUZ'.:'Oi •:UtNngt.sldm -{)U~\call'8, nc ~>_.vi~:;, bombam-o, D koje ja nisrm
po-zn~vao. l:it9li S:U m~ ·.ste .. ~~dim, · j: , Ssû3 im rel~o d~· 130 _:;r .. jûm,
n ond::: 211 me pits1i 1i kog 'mèeto s,:im i.J sem -tll>îf. ' il , / J o Je som
iz Li~s-ua, e J>ni mi f!·isu pcv ,':'.r ovsli Po su , mi ~ltre;zi.~i c1,0ku~;; n-t~~i; ju
kr;ju ao nisalll imec;i,. }?retresli su me i u a.;;.~pov1.ms n .... ;,li 0,(,r:1.m kt..·Ju
su .mi od~~e1~ _ ilF~~,.,ô);~ "'tf :t~k m..~~~;'à ~d 111:e,e im~:o s3m pui:::ku boz
m~-t1;1k9 k?JP J~ ui.1..a u v':'c:<:i~~ o,vµ. pu~t;u o.a,11~;i.±,·s -on~o su c
m_"J ;:9vcl:i., .. _d..,?,~_c~nv ____ Jj_~-_._ v_ o __ z:...lp ___ :_ .. _ .. -,, }~iD ,:P "'~k:u:-a~~ 1.,1-l':~d:. •e~ ~u~e,
-Pe som tu ~B~: <J~8;- -.-,~ 'ifc::-m1,g---nl, L.ce kuJ9 Je l.J uh ; .,;.8 ,i_.._\t~e
i.zncsilo ·, · ·c ··· ': ·' _ _ ,,~, . !'.!ri i s:;~:.'l~~ :lo u v·c-zilo. Je nls0m
smèo d: k!'.)~erD cla Je-·~i:J.-,tiîOijg ~Cs D IDOZth SU .oni zn::;li da ne r:,di ~
o mcjoj kuèi ili: mi niita niî.W: t;cvtrili. ù erlt•n od ovih vojnik~ mi_
je ":::::k: o d& _jg r _edio ·\l tJ3 :'3éE;ït.'-Skoj, g ove . o::;tsl~ tri vcjnikn eu
_rodom iz mOst ~: Rµ,P-é't--~ ·t-9 ~'3 'Hrvpts1:o · Uf08tO lcoje se ns lozi u blizini
Sk.r:!'t'llitis.• l{~nûli smo kt , mestu Ruve Vs smo se tu su ,..r, :li s f1
?-:;tl.'olom. njih'bvom i oni su •~ pr~doli toj P:::troli, c: pr0 J ,: li su i
moju :,>u.è1tu· b<?Z revnil~a, a bowbu koju su od men~ o,1.uzeli nisu pr:: · nli
$l)slu .::,::vnn snm: u ;:::r _,~,o;:inu j~:lno 4 sèts, a o-ndc S?ID pr~:,°Q.,;è:;:,n u
~QJli.k zGe som stneJten U_.j~l'DU. te C?m_· i ::. i ~:.von ~ V~ ;::U-,ûütn z---
tvoru. ru s~m se S.reo sa a ' JI licc --m z::i ki::\.;;:i zunœ o:, ::c z,,v-0
l-iil;1:::i i cb je iz ;3ibegiks è 1'8. ldm ocm r ·>~io u istom preduz .-· éu.
U (lb;:µ~r;om zs~yoru, u 4À2&t],ik u ss'f;l- .;·: Cr~cn 4 dans. U·i ssm fi::;.ic. :.::i
Z~· · 1"~v1j~n $li mi JePréCen _Qd~ c·e me !'.)ro,3mlotitii da éobiti . ?r-dhicki i fizi<~ki buf!.èlll zlo!'tt;Vli)sn ukoliko ne tc~i ,:,im prcvu istinu
o sebi. Iz'JS:So · je ._ cl.,nç"Jk u ":S~P90dn9~ Dslmzciji i 11.Areni'' Q r:eni
k,,o r~tnt'm zloeineu~ Jta~c j6 -vt·$èno r~n,.,vir enje z,atvor3 u ...:ib'eniku
: j-9 s:::-m pr;;)'bsëen u Z!:tvor u ~~;pq. i, {BiliQ..e). Prilil:om pr ij2ma u
i.;v::j z3tvor, metie ja jed sn ~ s~~~~ar~ , .. kO(;s .. n-.~ pozn :-,j~m, sn3:::.no
qda.X'io np;::vm u t,;t"e~elu _l?PlJl~ ·-~ ,~, .>govl>reci de szm ja .siG~,rno
kl:?o u mestu KabrnJe, .)a sgth1Jlu -~y~i~ de. _flvo mest;o DGZn'.:m 1. de
nik:::ds nisam tamo bor~vio. _y_-~t;t\1:-oru s;3" :ZèdriBn âve do pocc,tk~ ·
juna ove ;zod$,ne kad~f s:am J1U;:lt-eu na t:?lObP-dlil Jer sem omncut '.r:::n.
U za . voru µ ~li}at, ·;Jl:el«?i:ilP M ., ifl8 BO z.ptvpr011ikc, -'Ge je nss sDmo ~ puGtcno,,os~~ii · ~rol>l ·Jenicl / -$U ostr.ili u za,tvoru i ,eek1~li sudj~nje.
ü-to se ti(;e t~~llélïà · preïDe · nt,-m---, z--:rohljenieimr, u z :-,tvvru m,;;:;u da
k::i.::'..em d:. fizië'ki n_isrno zlost l)vlj::.nii, oli smc psihic::i _ m~,ltr:tir;;ni.
193
!ekon P.· uuetanjs iz z_~v1;r:; js sam ac:::>,o u s:.---bi~u t:} s ·r:i ., d i d ~,· . . ., \ .... se n9SG0 s..13 zenom 1. · tlcom·· .a:s 1:J~;.m:: ~s:.: o z1v: ~n u s::,1..u ,•>ü.:.. ;.:c .. •.rcu.
TO j!: sv~ sto imntil c'b i~.j vir.a, slu. ::_,o s:.,r:i ( ::_::·:;.:.:0 -:~je
~"- i:::n::..>::, un ·:tc j•::i sv::i sto s:::m r0 :·-O1 ze_isnik p::.---izn j· ::m z · 3 v ·-~;im
1. po'.: ~-i-:,ujom.
Z2vrseno u 12,45!}.•

Redacted
ANNEX64
ANNEX65
Municipal Court in Apatin, Serbia, Minutes of the
witness hearing of Jovica Piplica, dated 30 October
1998

205
Kri -51/98
MINUTES ON WITNESS HEARING
Taken on 30 October 1998 before the investigating magistrate of the Municipal Court in
Apatin in the criminal case against NN persons for the criminal act punishable under Article
14lofthe Criminal Code of the FRY
Investigating Magistrate
Borislav Perovic
Court Recorder
Mira Bukvic
Witness
Jovica Piplica
The hearing was also attended by:
Public Prosecutor
Defendant
Defence Counsel
The Court rose at 9: 10 a.m.
The witness was wamed that he was bound to tell the truth and that he should not hold
anything back; he was also wamed against the consequences of giving false evidence and that
he should not respond to certain questions if he would thereby embarrass himself or any next
of kin seriously or cause damage or be prosecuted as a result of it (Article 229 of the Criminal
Procedure Code), so he replied to the general questions as follows:
1. Family and given names: Piplica, Jovica
2. Father's name: Dusan
3. Occupation: car mechanic
4. Address: Apatin, 73 St. Sava Street
5. Place of birth: Brezovac, municipality of Donji Lapac
6. Date ofbirth: 1 April 1960
7. Relationship to the defendant or injured party:
Asked to state what he knew about the case, the witness declared:
On 5 August 1995, I left off in a Serb refugee convoy from Licka Kaldrma in the Republic of
Serbian Krajina. I reached Petrovac thanks to some kind people from the refugee convoy who
drove me in their car, while my family - my wife and four children, and my father and mother,
had left earlier in a tractor. We were heading for Banja Luka. We came to Petrovac on 6
August 1995. We stayed the night in Petrovac and left on 7 August 1995, around 11 :30 a.m. I
was driven by Krstan Vukovic in his Mercedes (350 HP) truck. Beside me, the other
passengers in the truck were: Obrenko Vukovic, Krstan's father; Darko Vukovic, Krstan's
son; Nevenka and Zarko Rajic, son and daughter of Spaso Rajic. We were all in the truck's
cab in. The convoy was endless, consisting of tractors, trucks, motor vehicles and horse-drawn
carts. When we were only 10 to 12 kilometres away from Petrovac, I heard an explosion and a
206
plume of smoke surrounded me. I don't remember anything after that, because I had been
ejected from the cabin by the detonation. People found me in the ditch, about 17 metres away
from the truck. They drove me straight away to hospital in Petrovac. I retumed to the scene
around 4:30 p.m. that day. I saw our truck still buming, as well as three motor vehicles which
were ahead ofus in the convoy, including another still buming Mercedes truck, also owned by
"Lika Trans" Transport Company. The truck driver, Krstan Vukovic, <lied instantly, as well as
Darko Vukovic, Nevenka and Zarko Rajic. I know that the other Mercedes truck which had
been ahead of us in the convoy contained the bodies of Jovica Drca, child of the truck driver
Dusan Drca, as well as Dusan's mother and his cousin Mira Dubajic, aged about 19. Driver
of the other truck Dusan Drca, Obrenko Vukovic and I sustained serious injuries. The Stelja
family of four bumt alive in the Mercedes car which had driven in front of us in the convoy.
There were other people killed in the convoy, but I don't know their names. I only know that
there were approximately 13 people killed in the convoy that day. Severely injured in the
Peugeot car were Dusan Beslac and his two-year-old daughter Dusanka Beslac. On 7 August
1995 at 8:30 p.m., I left the scene for Banja Luka. As my convoy moved on, we saw in front
of us wounded people with serious or light injuries.
I am not aware of the number of people killed in the convoy on that date. I only know that 13
people were killed approximately 30 metres away from the truck I was in. Dusan Drca and
Dusan Beslac were next to me and they can also testify to it. I will get their addresses and
make them available to the court, subsequently. I will also provide the addresses of Obrenko
Vukovic who, I understand, now lives in Banja Luka, and of Zeljko Dubajic, brother of the
killed Mira Dubajic, who was behind the Mercedes truck driven by Dusan Drca.
I have nothing to add to this. The minutes were dictated out loud and contain ail I had said, so
I sign them as my own statement.
Court Recorder
Mira Bukvic (Signed)
The hearing was adjoumed at 9:55 a.m.
Witness
Jovica Piplica (Signed)
Investigating Magistrate
Borislav Perovic (Signed)
207
3Anl-1CHl-1H O CACJlYWAl-bY CBE.llOHA
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Istrazni
PEROVIC BORISLAV
3an11cH114ap
BUKVIC MIRA
K3 . SRJ
CYA11ja '
PIPLICA JOVICA ······················ ··············•········· ·····················•·········
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.. PIPLICA ... JOVICA
Dusan
.., ... aut.ome.nanicar
.. ,. __ Apati?, Svetog Save broj 73
.,. Br.ez.oyac, ... SO Donji Lapac
1.4.1960. .. ~ ............... ......... ~ .......... .
3a 0B,11, M CBBAOK O caMOM nj1eAMeTy 113HOC"1 cne,11,el\e:
208
Ja sam dana 5. avgusta 1995. godine, krenuo sa izbeglickom kolom
Srba iz RSK tacnije iz Licke Kaldrme. Do Petrovca sam dosao tako sto su me
povezli.ljudi iz kolone dok je moja familija moja zena i · cetvoro dece, otac
i majka krenuli ranije sa traktorom. Isli smo u pravcu Banja Luke, u Petrovac
smo stigli 6. avgusta 1995. godine. U Petrovcu sam prenoéio i dana 7. avgys ~- godine oko ll 13o_è:asova zajedno sa Vukovié Krstacoo kamionom "Likat
ransa" teretnim marke "Mercedes" 350 konjskih snaga, u pravcu Banja Luke. U
kamionu smo bili ja, Vukovié Krstan koji je vozio kamion, Vukovié Obrenko,
(otac Vukovié Krstana), Vukovié DArko (sin Vukovié Krstana), Rajic Nevenka i
Rajié Zarko sin i éerka Rajié Spase. Svi srno se nalazili u kabini kamiona.
Kolona je bila nepregledna bilo je t:raktora, kamiona, putnickih automobila,
zapreznih vozila.Na oko lo do 12 km. od Petrovca ja sam samo zacuo detonaciju
i video plamen oko sebe, Nakon toga ja nista ne znam jer me detonacija
izbacila i~ kamiona tako da su me l ljudi nasli na oko 17 metara od kamiona u
kanalu, nakon cega su me odmah odîezli u Petrovac u bolnicu. IZ Petrovca sam
se ponovo vratio na lice msta oko 16,30 casova toga dana gde sam video da
nas kamion i dal je gori, kao i tri putniçka autarnol?ila koja su se u kolini
nalziÏa ispred. naseg kamiona, a ispred ta tri putnicka automobila se nalazio
i goreo j?s jedan kamign,roarke "Mercedes" takodje vlasnistvo 11Likatr~s". Na
lieu mesta su P__?.6inul:1,_ . vozuaC iona u kome s ja bio i to Vukovié
l\rsta · .r ' ··V · ··V rko. Ja znam da
su u drugom kamionu marke "Mercedes" koji se u kolini nalazio ispred nas
poginuli\.brca Jo'1,.ca dete vozaca tog drugog kamiona Drca Dusana, Drca Dusank
a
majka DRca Dusana i Dypajié Mira - sestra od ujaka Drca Dusana stara oko 19
godina. Tesko su ranjeni bili vozac tog drugog ka."lliona Drca Dusan, Vukovié
'Obrenko i ja. U putnickan automobilu marke 11Mercedes11 koji se nalazio ispred
nas u koloni je izgorela u plamenu cetvoroclana porodica Stjelja. u koloni
je bile jos poginulih torn prilikom ali ja nemam saznanja ko su ti ljudi,
znam samo da je bilo ~o 13 ljudi poginulih toga dana u koloni.U putnickom
automobilu marke "Pezo" su tesko ranjeni Beslaé Dusan i njegova dvogodisnja
éerka Beslaé Dusanka. Oko 2o,3o casova 7. avgusta 1995. godine, ja sam
krenuo sa lica mesta u pravcu Banja LUke a usput dok je kolona odmicala smo
nailazili na ranjene ljude iz kolone bilo je tezih i laksih povreda koji su
bili teze i lakse povredjeni.
Ja ne znam koliko je ljudi toga dana poginulo u koloni ali
znam da je samo u mojoj neposrednoj blizini na oko 3o metara od kamiona u
kom sam se ja nalazio i to 30 metara ispred mog kamiona poginulo 13 ljudi. U
mojo; neposrednoj blizini su bili Drca Dusan i Beslaé Dusan koji su takodje
sve to mogli da vide a cije adrese éu saznati i naknadno dostaviti sudu.
Takodje i Vukovié Obrenka koji se pre.ma mcxn saznanju nalazi u Banja L13-ci,
Dubajié Zeljko (brat poginule Dubajié Mire) koji se nalazio viza putnickog
odnosno iza kamiona marke "Mercedes" kojim je upravljao Drca Dusan.
Ja vise nemam sta da izjavim, zapisnik je glasno diktiran i u
njega jeunet amoja izjava kao sto sam i izjavio pa je kao svoju potpisujem.
Dovrseno u 9,55 casova.
Istrazn·
ANNEX66
Municipal Court in Vrsac, Serbia, Minutes of the '1#
witness hearing of Zeljko Dubajié, dated 15 January
1999

211
Kri 2/99
MINUTES ON WITNESS HEARING
Taken on 15 January 1999 before the investigating magistrate of the Municipal Court in Vrsac
in the criminal case against NN persona for the criminal act punishable under Article ...... of
the Criminal Code.
Investigating Magistrate
Vojislav Nikolic
Court Recorder
Vera Djuric
Witness
The hearing was also attended by:
Public Prosecutor
Defendant
Defence Counsel
The Court rose at 10:30 a.m.
The witness was wamed that he was bound to tell the truth and that he should not hold
anything back; he was also wamed against the consequences of giving false evidence and that
he should not respond to certain questions if he would thereby embarrass himself or any next
of kin seriously or cause damage or be prosecuted as a result of it (Article 229 of the Criminal
Procedure Code), so he replied to the general questions as follows:
1. Family and given names:
2. Father's name:
3. Occupation:
4. Address:
5. Place of birth:
6. Date of birth:
Dubajic, Zeljko
Mile
fitter
Vrsac, Zarka Zrenjanina 14, Tel: 013/811 106
Donji Lapac
1965
7. Relationship to the defendant or injured party: not related, cautioned under Articles 229 &
231 ofCPC
Asked to state what he knew about the case, the witness declared:
After the Croatian aggression against the Republic of Serbian Krajina in August 1995, I was
retreating from the Serbian Krajina in a refugee convoy. The convoy stopped for some reason
while we were already in the territory of the Republic of Srpska between Bosanski Petrovac
and Sanski Most, near a place called Bravsko. The convoy was shelled.
Ali this happened on 7 August 1995, around 1: 15 p.m. The refugee convoy contained only
civilians - men, women, elderly people and children, who were being transported in various
vehicles and fleeing the Republic of Serbian Kraj ina. I was in my "Zastava 101" car, which
212
was actually owned by my cousin Dusan Drca, tied to the truck driven by Dusan. Apart from
me, there were my cousin's wife Josipa Drca and his 11-year-old daughter Dusanka
nicknamed Duka, in the car.
The truck was driven by my cousin Dusan. His companions in the truck were: his mother
Dara Drca, my sister Mirjana Dubajic, who was 21 years of age, my cousin's son Jovica Drca,
who was five years old and his nephew Zeljko Drca, who was 15 years of age.
The refugee convoy was shelled and I understand that some 16 people were killed on that
spot.
I saw an aircraft flying low above the convoy, which made a tum and dropped a few missiles
on the convoy. A missile fell next to the vehicle I was in. I think that the convoy was bombed
and that a total of four missiles had been fired. Before one missile fell two metres away from
my vehicle, I had heard two or three blasts. The windows of vehicles were smashed by the
explosions and I was blown out of the vehicle by these powerful detonations. One Mercedes
vehicle bearing Knin number plates, which was immediately behind my vehicle, took a direct
hit and burst into flames. One truck owned by "Lika Trans" Company, as well as the truck
driven by my cousin, were also in flames, the latter being about 15 metres away from the
Mercedes car.
Because my cousins or persons known to me were in the hit vehicles or trucks which
exploded, I know the full identity of the people who were injured or <lied there.
Of the people driven in the "Zastava 101" car, I, Zeljko Dubajic, sustained only light injuries
in the form of lacerations ail over my body, as well as my cousin's wife Josipa Drca who had
lacerations on her face and her 11-year-old daughter Duska had contusions. Ali in all, no one
was killed in that vehicle.
On the other hand, there were three people killed and injured in the truck driven by my
cousm.
When the smoke of the explosion cleared, I saw my sister-in-law Josipa Drca holding the
five-year-old Jovica Drca in her arms. The grenade which hit the roof of the truck had injured
his head, blowing off half of it. He gave no signs of life. Before the explosion, he was sitting
in my sister's lap and, when the grenade went through the roof, it hit him too.
My sister Mirjana Dubajic from the village of Brotinje in the municipality of Donji Lapac,
who was 21 years old, was also killed. She <lied instantly. She was headless and her whole
body was tom to pieces.
Also dead was Dara Drca from the village of Brotinje. She had given signs of life on the scene
and was rushed to hospital in Petrovac, and from there to Banja Luka. However, she <lied of
the injuries sustained on the way to Banja Luka.
My cousin, Dusan Drca, also from the village of Brotinje, sustained injuries to his head and
right leg. He lost one of his eyes and has shrapnels lodged in his leg. He stayed alive, but
permanently disabled.
213
His nephew, Zeljko Drca, who was 15 years old and from Srb, sustained light injuries. He lay
in the upper part of the truck and was hit by bits and pieces from vehicles and shrepnels after
the explosion.
The Mercedes truck with Knin number plates was totally in flames and it bumt down. Four
people were killed in it. I don't know their identity, although I have been questioned several
times so far, in Belgrade, about their identity. I was even witness before the Hague Tribunal. I
think that people in Belgrade know the identity ofthese persons.
The truck of the "Lika Trans" Company which was behind the Mercedes truck with Knin
number plates carried some more distant relatives of mine. So I know their identities. That
truck burst into flames and four persons were killed in it. Those killed were: Krstan Vukovic
from Donji Lapac, who was about 40 years of age; bis son Darko Vukovic, also from Donji
Lapac, aged about 11.
My cousin also drove two children of his colleague. They were killed too. Their names were
Zarko Rajic, from Donji Lapac, who was 11 years old, and bis eider sister Nevenka Rajic,
also from Donji Lapac, aged about 13.
I would like to repeat that I have heard that a total of 16 people were killed by the bombing of
the refugee column by the Croatian warplane, in the village of Bravsko. Sorne of them <lied
instantly and some later on, as a result of the injuries sustained. I am absolutely positive about
the identity of these people, because they were either my relatives or close acquaintances. I
am also positive about the way they <lied, because I took part in their burial. At first, my sister
Mirjana Dubajic, was buried in the village of Tomina, hamlet of Caplja, along with Dara
Drca, Jovica Drca, Krstan Vukovic, Darko Vukovic and Nevena and Zarko Rajic. The
remains of Krstan and Darko Vukovic, and Nevena and Zarko Rajic, were subsequently
moved to Banja Luka and buried there.
As to this incident, I have already given evidence to the "Veritas" organization and the
Tribunal in The Hague. However, nothing bas yet been done against the pilot of the aircraft
who bombed the convoy and whose name is probably known. It seems to me that these
atrocities against the civilian population fleeing the Republic of Serbian Krajina, who were
defenceless, are being covered up.
The minutes were not read to the witness, because he didn't want to. He had no objections to
what was written in them.
The hearing was adjoumed at 11: 10 a.m.
Investigating Magistrate
Vojislav Nikolic (Signed)
Court Recorder
Vera Djuric (Signed)
Witness
Zeljko Dubajic (Signed)
214
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215
F0s1e. igrsi;e hrvstske ns Rfpubliku srps~u kt'ajinu u avgustu
m~secu l)95 godine, povlscio sem se iz republike srpske krBjine
,y koloni izbeglice, veé smo oili ne ter@i toriji ar;)Ske
na ~ ot ezu , f zrnedj u Bo8an.skog Fetrovca · i Ssnskog Mostakoà.
mests Breva·ko gdese tolons izb8glica zsustevila- iz :œkog rez log
i gde izvrseno bornbardovenje kolone izbeglics.
Tû je bilo 7.o8.l995 gOdin-e, oko 13,15 casova. U koloni izbeg
bilo _p samo,. civilno Etanovnistvc, eastsvlj eno od. inuskarece i zE:>n
staiib i dece, koji su u rsznim vGzilima ~-0vlacili iz
republike srpske krajine.
Ja ssm , bic u svome 111lt~vozilc '!llf'ktf' Z-estavs .lol, odno.sno vlas!li
brataDrca lb.sana, lejè je bile -askaceno za kamion kojim jeupravljao
mOJ brst .Dr~a Dµsan. -TJ tom vozilu sam bio ja,
bratovlj @va zens .Drcs 3oe!pa i bratcvlj evs 6erka Drr!a Dusanka
odn· sno Duke stars 11 go~ina.
Moj trst vozio je ksmion i upravlj ao je , on se zove lh 1 ,~& Du
a ,1 kam1onu su b ili. jos Drca Dara, njegovs msjke, ·· ,zatim-sestr,
moja :rodj ena Dubaj ié. Mirj ana, stars . 21 godinu, bratdvlj ev Si!l
Dr0ca Jovica star 5 godfna, i i njegova éerka- ll;dncs!lo
njegov sinovac .Drca Zeljko ~ar 15 godina.
K'olona iz.beglica je bombardovsna i koliko . znam na tom ~tu j ~
pog:tnulo 16 ljudi n9znam tacno à.i oko 16 ljudi.
Frimetio esm da~ jed.an auion nadleteo 11:llonu u. nst<-om l&tu
zatim · naprevio zsokret i vratio ~, u p:>vratku ~u.c sam
ne kolik0 expolozfja prenego sto je jedna raketa bala u blizin:1
mogs vozila u kPme ~m gs bio tl& navedenim licima.
Rekso de bise radi c raketiranju kolone i da · je tfpaljen o
ukupno 4 rakete, .tuo sam dve ili tri ex;>oloz:f.je -;;:re nego
ijto jê · j edne reketa · pela na oko 2 1Det:rs iza rrogs vozile,
Cula se expolczijs stskla na vozilu su popucsla, ja sam ou
s1.l:ine expolozije izasao napolje iz yozila. J~dno put .vczilo
marke Mercedes kninske :œgistracije lrloje je bilo od.mab iza men e
pogodjenc je i -zapaU.lo se kac i jeds:n ksroion Lika Transe
vlasnistvo te .13.rme, keo i kamion koji je -vozto moj brat
kcj:l je tskodje b:l.o za9oaljim, koj:i se nal~ iza TTlercedesa
jedno- 1,-tak metera.
S obzirom da su u kolima i famicn u b:ili moji rodjsci a
1-u onom drugom kakonu 9oznate lies znam tance· identi etet lju. d i
lr oj i su J?Ovredj ~ni il:t r;x:;ginuli rs ovom l!e8tu.
U vut.voz:ilu Zestavslol u kome sam ja . bio ja oam bio pc--i,red.je n
Dubajié Zeljko, 1 imao sam povrede - po celom -~lu od
ex plozi,te 1 ;>osekot;_na eli n:i sn tl. le teze prir od~, zeti m
povredjea je DrXa Josips , i ena moga brata ~oj~je b i le
vc.vredj ena u vidu. poaekotine P<' 11 eu A tak oaj~ ugru.vane
je bila i DrGa .a1eka dete stsro 11 gcdia . ali sv ·-e· ukupnc
sveuzevsi Qovr , de .dsu bile te1Hre i · n.Se b{l.o - ,p:lg:inuli od
oni .h koji su biB _ u p11t.vozilu.
U ksmionu l'!lCg~ brat_s bilo je tri pogj nuls i pc-vrP.dj enib
K~d se rascietio dim od explozije vfde-osam da
~r~a Jcsipa drii u rukama Dr~a Jovicu sterog
moj a 6nsj a
5 gcdina,
216
koji j? ·pov.rf1J~n. bio. _'od, ~~~nst,~ ·,t)Ostb -Jé ,~ra.nits o_dp'eia deo
.krov a oçi ksm'.'!. on.,s i, · b1 lo j ~ · povred.Jén· po ,.glavi, : i;>ola g)eve
m,.,jè. bilo odnet.o, ,Nalicù'1!!:e-.ste -j& ,foginuo .t·ni-jEf · œvao · znake z1v
Bio · j? u. k:rilb rnoje ,._ëft~.e.· :. gde '· 5&-~~ô.&o i kakb.j_e- '.gian-ata ~ odnels
krov teko' ~·---zehvetils f ·njëga·. ,. · -- · · ,. · '
.éog.irii.,la j.ë:: i m:c'js . ~att.s : Dubej'iê., Mirj_~ps o{.)_stins · Donj,i ;t.apec·, ~.a'rs _21 _ :to.dimi'. \-oje ·
wr-tvsi dj ë> i'msls_ ,UOP~te _gl~v·u., ·· SVl j, · ~: ?ilo
iz<a:ele B_~ctinje
j'a · n:s: me-et·c- ôs ta la
ra"i~s'ke 'no 'é-el,_:' telo. . ~ - , r .. ~ - ....
:Pogi.n.ul!i: j-e i : Dr0a a .ra dl,lj 8:&18 . E;r,otinje 'œ. 6, . lf~fB
je. n~.J,ièii mes té? ëia.v,alar j-osznska , z~vota,, '; ~8, je - pre5s:ce _~8 '.u b olni
u .R>tr~ac- a- pô_tom u. ,Ban.acju, 1{1.~k~~ m·l;ldJ11}Ï:1y,· ·tjs ,~ûtu .z·s . Eifnju Lu ku
um·r1a· je cd povx.eda z.s·dobi:tën:ib ~dé. - ' · · .. · · ·
i-ovredjen je i m cj bret Drce Dusan iz e ela Brctinj E>,
\roj i je .z.edob_i o pov_r~(\e po glavi i. po q~anoj .!!ozi . . _oqk;oj ib
je povrede- je oetso - œz ~-jednog oke-,- ,s -im'é pov-i'Eidê P.~ ·- 1\<1z:t cd
gelera. Ostao je ziv aH je trsjni invalid. · ·
3.&d0bio jei;>cvredei Drcs Zeljko Sin.ovac 1Tl0@8 rbratcS star l'5 B&di
iz ~ba, koji je zadobi o lsks9 povrE>de, en;, ·1ezao na kaf'l:i(•nu
ss:ce ,i kada je do slc do explozij e povredj en je od udarnog tsl~H~a
i od 'o.elovs, vozila i gel1;>ra. :. !. , ~,. r ,
'Mercedes kni'J.snek registracije, kao sto asm rekaC' pio je ~cptuno
u plamenu potpunc izgoreo i u tom œrcedesu poginulo je 4 H ce
Ja neznam njibov identttet s sozbirom ds sam vise puta
fspi tivan d c sads u .Beogradu p; i avedoèHo sam P+'.~d ~askim
tribunalom, :T1 islim daoni iz Beograds znaju i déritd _tt .. t:i.h lie,
U oncm ksmionu Jiks Trans a koj i je bi P i za kamiona odnosno
voila mercedes kninsnke regi stracij e bili eu reki moj i dalj i r odj B (
tako da znalîl njihov identitet. Tej kamkon sezapsli o 5. u nj egoa
je poginnlo 4 li.ce.
Poginuo je Krsten Vukovié iz Dcnj eg Lapca star ~ko 4o gc-:1.i ne,
Tak edj e je poginuo Ili egov sin Darko Vukovié i z D onj eg Lap e s
star oko 11 gcdins.
Bio jepovezao i dvoje
i to Raj!.6 Lisrko :lz
i njegcva 9esra RAjié 1.3 g(\d; ne.
œce ayoga 'kc'lege koje su t6kodje pogimll!
Donjeg Lapca star oko 11 godi n a,
Nevenka, iz :üonjeg :;:,apca star okc
Zel:!TJJ d& ponov:tm ia sam ~uo da na tom mestu kod meeta
sels Bravako od rsketirsnja brvatakcg avions kolone izbeglica
poginulo je ukupno 16 ljudL sto su umrH na lieu rnesta
:i sto su kBSnije umrli usled zadobijenih · povreda Zeove lica
kcj a sarn j a nav~c ~osto a e mdi o rcdjacima i pczban:i cima "i gd.e
sam ja bio o~eviàac potyunc sam siguran i njihov identttet.
217
.; uv 6'Z,i ?5injenice- njihove smrti jer sem kasnij e uc eetvovao
ll nihovom Eebranjiv _anju U r;irvo vreme •i se.Lu Tomina ,za .seok Ce·plj s biii ·SU· · sabrsnj ·eni Dube,j ié- · Mriaj na m.oj a -$Strs, Dr~e Dars, ;, , DrX,a. Jovica · , Krstan . Vukov~_é , Dark-o. , Vukovi ~, i Raj\ié Za:rko i Neve,nka. · Kaspije ~rE'bac~ni ~Ù-cza .Banju aLuk1 _i ; sahranjenf Krstan i .Jarko Yukovié, :t- Rajié Za:rtko i .. Nevene.
ét·o se tic9-e.roga ·dogadj·aj :e j.esam - _ve5 vise -put:a ,o;:cg.anizscij t veritas p.a. i sved;ocfo .u. ~askom _. tribµnalu - gov:or:i.__o o:_°-'17-~ dogedjijima -i _ zr:tvama T!le4jut _im, k.1,o _ijt-0 ae· v~di ~ do..s ada rl.:sta llJ_je vreduzeto prot;.v · lies ·koj e ! e ~v·rsilo bombordevoanj 9 ·;1 l e ~vi-ons a. ve _ruj em - ~,a _ims oda _:t s1'iPf. de je t~. _lic,e pozn-at0: • Cin:i. mi '., se de se zeteskev:sj u- s.t.va:ri u ve_zi ~.ovog .z.];oc:t.na na d ·civiln:tm .. stanotvn1:itvo1D koje . se. ·povlacilo --~- rep.u@liJ re _ .:
srpske :i. koj'e je bile ne.a~t:ï&e .nè 1 nij.e mog_lo da se- ·baen_:L.
~ ( ~~
Z&-jtftmik nijeprorSit~ri jer ~vedèk nezeli. Neme ~imedbi lis s edrz inu zavi. sn:i ka. ·
~ .
ayrsenou 1,1,_l~ .
___ .,... . . ;. ·~ - r
. ::- ~ '.
... ; --·-~:._ ;.~"' ,. .c ' \•
r·~\~ ~ :
;a~n!~ '.r ·
1 .
- .. . '·~~:1ll

ANNEX67
Excerpts from the Minutes of the session of the
Presidency of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ),
held on 11 August 1995 at the Presidential Palace in
Zagreb

221
0635-5880-0fü 5 5888 E'/ï lronslntion
l\UNlJTES
OF IVŒETING HELD
ON: 11 August 1995
IN: The Presidenlial Palace, North Reception Room
SESSION STARTED AT: 1700 hours
SESSION ENDED AT: 1820 hours
PRESENT AT THE SESSION: M. GRANié, M. SUNJié, G. SUSAK, N.
DELEGATION COl\fPOSED OF: V ALENTié, Z. CANJUGA, D. BRODARAC,
D. DECAK, H. HITREC, I. PASALié, A.
VRDOLJAK, J. RADié, K. lVANISEVIé,
N. MIHANOVI é, I. MILAS, V. SEKS, L
VALENT, M. KAPULICA, J.
STOJANOVIé, H. SARINié, M.
RAMUSCAK, D. KRPINA
PRESENT WITH THE PRESIDENT: M. GOLOB , V. PAVLETié, I. GAZI, I.
Cfü5-588 0-06J5-5888-ET. doc/sz
SAN ADER, M. ZUZUL, V. SKAREOZBOLT,
M. PISKOR
222
063 5-5880 -0635 -5888 -ET/li-a11s/ntion
RECORDED!
J\,flNUTES
of t!Ji: se:ssion of the Presidency of the Croatian Democratic Community, held on 11
August 1995 al the Presidential Palace
Started nt 1700 hours.
PRESIDENT:
Ladies and gentlemen. I hereby declare the expanded sitting of the Presidency
of the Croatian Democratic Community open.
Agenda:
l. Political situation follmving the liberation of occupied territories;
2. Proposa! to call elections and amend the Electoral Law;
3. Date of the Third Congress of the lIDZ /Croatian Democrati c
Community/ ;
4. Ot her
As an introduction to item 1, l think l can say Lhat by libcrating the
central occupied t.erritories of Croatin , from western Slavonia to northern Dalmatia.
the Croatian Democratic Community bas fulfilled its main pmgranm1e goal lo
establish and sec ure the future of a free and independent democratic Croatia.
llntil now, until we liberated Knin. the future of the Croatian state was in
doubt. It was in doubt not because of the will of the Croatian people, whi ch they
expressed at all the elections we held , vesting confidence primarily in the Croatian
Democratic Community into whos e bands they put their destiny, but because until that
time all the international factors were still speculating on how to resol ve the crisis in
the former Yugoslavia. With the liberation of these occupied territories of central
Croatia, this issue was definitely removed from the agenda, and the future of the
Croatian state and of the Croatian people is secure.
Dear party friends, we can be proud of what we have done. Naturally , our
work is not yet over, but we have completed 90% of our programme. Ali this tirne,
even during this period of the Iiberation of Knin., I have been under constan t pressure ,
even from our friends, whorn we had gained in open international rdations , in the
diplomatie and, primarily official circles of the United States of America and
German y, and in the democratic cirdes of other countries . However, under this
pressure even those political forces that were with us failed to follow our programme
completely and were not prepared to support us in its implementation . The clearest
sign oftlûs was that at that gathering in Bucharest we were not yet accepted as real
members into the commun.ity of European Christian Dernocrat parties. Even parties
such as the Gennany's were reserved. That best goes to show that the Croatian
Democratic Community , such as it is and af1er it achieved all this, still failed lo gu.in
full support even from those European and global political ranks that should certainly
have been interested . There were constant remarks tome about what would happen
with the HDZ, whether there were too many cornrnunists in il or whethcr right-wing
elements would prevail, and I didn 't have consent for a single decision at state level.
However, we've overcom e ail that. The recent letters from Chancellor KOHL
and CSU /expansion unknown/ President WEISEL and the messages from President
CLINfON inquiring about human rights, the rights of the Scrbian ethnie conununity ,
etc , prove tlùs . From the Z-4 plan, drafted by our friends GALBRAITH and ARRENS
0635-5880,0635-5&88-Ff. doc/sz 2
223
0635-5880-063 5-58B8-F:l'fl'ran.<lntinn
Î
r10 the fact that the American ambassador was so excited yesterday as to rccommend 1
that we continue to negotiate with BABié. or tbat my minister of the interior , literally,
should resign because a Croatian m11ltin1de attacked the fleeing Serbs, and the police
\Ëiled to prevent this. In the aftemoon, and BROD ARAC might know more about _,
tlùs, be actually gol on a tractor or a horsedra,'l'Il cart or something with them.
So, these are the circumstances, gentlemen, in which we created aJI this
together today. Just among ourselves, it is dear that I had to listen to all the wellintenli
oned ... or advice thal was given because of otheriotcrcsts and other
programmes. I had to take into coosideration the international circumstances, but that
we were pursuing our own policies. which led to this. After the liberation of these
areas in centr.tl Croatia, after the Croatian 11ag flew h.igh above the K.nin fortress,
nothing is the same , nor will it ever be 11s it was with nll that speculation. We will be
able to continue to pursue our own policies, whlle taking account of international
circumstances as we bave so far, of course. However. this will cnable us to be more
detennined in our standpoints. Dear party friends, sothat in our ranks as well ... I'll
tell you openly, I don 't have to waste rime on some of you who, on the one hand
blamed me for giving too free a rein and beiug too liberal towards people from the
former regimc , and on the other blamed me for giving loo free a rcin and allowing too
much to the radical s and nationalists. What is very interesting about this is that
everytlùng 1 mentioned, includiog the official ... and including lhe European
Christian Democrat parties, therefore, with the change of the party, to the Vatican. or
from the Vatican to them /as printed/, they were more critical of us, of the HDZ, lhan
of the policies of Croatia because of the presence of radical nationalist elements than
because of the presence of communist ones, either one or the other. But please bear in
rnind wbat I said . Llsten, if we were wise and clever enough tbat from ail of tbis we
managed to secure the future of the Croatian state. to make the position of Croatia in
the world stronger than it ever bas been, that they must recognise us as a regional
force, as a regional factor, to /ensure/ that the domestic in11ucnce of the HDZ in the
counlry îs probably stronger than il was before the first and the second elections, then
thal gives us sufficient grounds for satisfaction, but more importantly, sufficient
grounds to be able to continue with the platforrn of the Croatian Democratic
Commuo.ity in the corning period . Thal is the historie impoctance of the deeds of the
HDZ .
In relation to this, I tbink that we need to talk at today's meeting and issue a
statement in which we would distance ourselves from ail those insinuations that the
HDZ wants, through force and corruption, to dissolve the other parties and !ure some
others. 1 received some sort of a letter /to this effect/, from the HNS /Croatian Football
Association/, I think. (Yes.) Therefore, as the HDZ leadership we need to distance
ourselves from this nnd say publicly that we are not luring anyone neither by offers
nor corruption nor force, and that the disintegration occurring in other parties is the
simple result of a lack of platfonn, lack of definition, /?bad/ leadership and failure to
find their way intime and space, and that the new influx from other parties or from
outside parties into the HDZ is in fnct tbe result of these domestic and international
dynamics in which the public was able to assure itsdf of the rigbt -mindedness, and
not only the right -mindedness, but the effectiveness and fruitfulness of the policies of
the Croat.ian Democratic Commuruty .
This is al) I have to say on item 1.
Shall we discuss th.is or move on to the second item?
0635-5880-0635,5888-ET.doc/sz 3
224
0635-5880-0635 -5888 -ITl/'ron.<lntinn
Nikica V ALENTié:
It's not oecessary, you've said everytbing.
PRESIDENT:
Yes, let 's move on to item 2 then - PROPOSAL TO CALL ELECTIONS
AND AMEND THE ELECTORAL LAW.
Since events evolved as they did, I th.ink that the circumstances are very
fovourable for us to hold eleclions before our lenn ruas out. This means that we
wou]d hold elections this autumn, because the poli tic al circumstances nre very
fovournble for the Croatian Democrntic Conununity and, of course, I tlùnk for all of
you, the entirt' Croatian Democratic Comrnunity . \Ve are not slarting from narrowminded
party interests, but from the interest in preserving and strengthening the
sovereign Croati an state. Therefore, in order to continue to strengthen the Croatian
state. I think we need to ensure Lbat the Croatian Dcmocratic Community bas a
majority. I think we can do that without much effort if we hold elections tlûs autumn
based on the current situation.
In relation to thls, it will be neccssary to make some changes to the Electoral
Law. lt would be good if, during the discussion, you gave your opinions about
whether we should use the mixed system like we used to, and the direct and
proportional electoral system /as printed/. There are proposais. justified ones I think,
to envisage l 0% of the seats in the Chnmber of Deputies for the diaspora, considering
the number of people in the diaspora, lheir influence on the establishment and the
defence of Crontia, the establishment of a democratic Croatia and the defence of the
homeland . Let's discuss this. I think that we don't have to decide on a date for the
elections at today 's meeting. However, under item 3, we'll deterrnine the date when
we'll hold the Tbird Congress of the HDZ nnd the County Assemblies.
In relation to this, we probably need to deterrnine more closely the electoral
rights of the diaspora. It is of particular political significance. I've corne lo this
conclusion and we discussed the issue at a select gathering, it'II be necessary to do /as
printed/ ... the Govemment will have to prepare, and we'll talk about this later al the
VONS /Defence and National Security Council/, a cens us of national minorities
because matters have obviously changed in every way, and politically, at this meeting
we need to discuss for a while the political attitude towards receiving ... towards the
departure and. limited to lbat, the retum oftbose kaving Croatia, the Serbian
minority, but also towards receiving Croats who are being expelled daily from Serbia.
So, in this, we bave to be more specific in passing. I think. more radical solutions or
taking more radical steps than we have been so far. As far as I' m concemed , I tlûuk
that we don't need any holding camps. We need to create a legal basis to be able to
accomrnodate immediately the people who have been expelled from Serbin and are
arriving in Crontia . Likewise, please let us, discuss this here from the political
standpoint, that we later charge the Government and the Asscmbly with adopling
some regulatîons that will enabk taki.ng over the administration of abandoned farms.
bouses, cottle, etc. Therefore, there have been sorne, I mean ... non-politicnl
statements about how if one of our people enters an abandoned bouse and if the
person who left, who nb11.Ddoned it, who waged war against Croatia shows up
sometime later, then we will be obliged to ho.nd it over, that /our man/ will have to
give it back to him in the state in whicb be found it, etc. So, let's discuss these things
from a political standpoint and then the Govemment aud the Assembly can pass the
necessary mling.
0635-58 80-()(j35-5888-ET.doc/s z 4
225
Englüh Tmn.datùm ET06.,5 -59l f -0653-5933
So, we only have to detenuine the day when the Third Sabor /Croatian
parliamcnt/ will be hcld. 1l1ere is a proposa! that rnuoicipality assemblies be held
bdore, county assemblies between 6th and git• October, all of !hem in that period. and
the Third Sobor between 14th and 15th October. (October, or?) October, yes, October,
the tenth month. yes. So, the regular session of the Sabor will stort on 15th - I think it
is 15111 September, this current Sabor, on 151h September, Drf.avr1i Sabor /National
Parliamentl (Using emergency procedure.) Yes. using emergency procedure. So, it
will probably dissolve itself. ln order to call elections.
(These dates you have rnentioned, the first dates you have mentioned, is that
for municipal ll.lld county .. . )
The county assemblies, in order to fit into, so that we !ose no lime, in order to
fit into such electoral atmosphere, to be held between 6th and Bth October. Before that,
the basic and municipal ones. The Third Sabor Avili be/ a weck after that, on 14111 and
15111 October . Naturally, the Govemment must render the decision on arnendments to
the Electoral Law, the decision on register of ethnie minorities which shmùd probably
be made at the beginning of September. (1 't September). Please, 1,1 September. (The
electoral register ... )
r
Drago KRPINA:
How shall we elect Serbs to the Sabor?
PRESIDENf:
So, there, after the register .
Drago KRPINA
But, we arc not obliged to 8% any more. (No, no.)
PRESIDENI:
Predsely so, to deternùne the percentnge, because on that basis the
amendments to the Coostitutionnl Law should be made, because I know Ùlat you ,vil!
Drago KRPINA:
Mister President, the Constitutional Law must be changed,
OTPIDVU 1 of 18
226
Englis/J Translation ET0635-5911-06 53-593J
PRESIDENT :
Yes. well yt'.s, and because of lhal, wc necd thal rcgis1er in orckr Lo have what
\Ve al! know now. in order lo have a real basis for it.
Nikica V ALENTié:
From the political point of vicw. is it opportunistic to dctemùnc that there are
3% of Serbs in Croatia at this moment?
PRESIDENT:
It will not be at this moment, it will be in a month .
Nikica VALENfié:
Ali right, in a month, you see, rnaybe, that fact is crucial, not formally for us,
because here is, tbere are two more, but ... we will present the fact that there are 3 %
Lof Serbs in Croatia.
PRESIDENT:
Nik:ica, if we did not establish tbat, they could request that we hold /probably
stick toi the districts, and so on /as stated/.
Nikica V ALENflé:
No, I am just asking thal question because, after ail, it is related to the ethnie
cleansing, because of the accusations that will be and the games which \\ill continue,
and soon.
PRESIDENf:
That is what they are snying, but if you please, the reality is renlity and also is
J
L the principled nature of the policy. _J
Ivan MD.,AS:
The tcxlay's proposal says that Muslims are transferred from Gorazde close to
Sarajevo and those from Sarajevo to transfer them to Gomzde, the official Arnerican
/proposais?/ ... If they can doit, there is no renson not to ...
PRESIDENT:
OTPIDVU 2ofl8
227
English Translntion E:T 0635-5911-0653-59]]
... should bf' put into the context of future succession, war damage and everything
else. as in t1le case of ltaly after the Second World War. I think this can be defended
polit:ically, legally and in any other way.
President, in tlùs lmv, ifs important that our people have security and that they
cannot be thrown out. in my opinion, that is important, the wording, ùecause nobody
will move in if they c,m be thro\m oui in a year. Now the question is what form is
most suitable to put tltis basic idea in.
r , DR. JURE RADIC:
Nothing is more important than this, nothing is more important in Croatia
today than this, because people are coming , Croats, and I don't lmow, we don't have a
report on this. but I don't know if you k:now that Vojnié used to have only 51
inhabitants, today it's a town of 15,000 people, tomorrow we eau fill it up withl5,000,
in addition, Lapac bas 14 inhabitants, 14 Croats, Donji Lapac 14 inhabitants. (lt' s
more than the number of bouses ... ) I agree, but it's strntegically so important, and i t's
in such a position that wc must repair the bouses, Gojko, and put Croals there, sucb is
the position of the place.
PRESIDENf:
I am \Vith the more radical, if someone has Ieft the country and does not
appear tbere, I don 't know, a month, or tbree rnonths, etc, tbat shall be considered,
think of the wordiog, state property, etc. We bave corne out ol a war, etc, define it like
that.
OTPIDVU Jlo/18
228
Eng!isli Tran.1/nrlon ET0635-59/ 1-0653-593 .:
NIKICA V ALENTié:
Not three months, three months is too Jong, because we ...
PRESIDENT :
L OK a month , then. J
DR. JURE RA.Dié:
\Vell, theu we must do il lhrough a Government decre~ \Ve can ' t wait... and
the Assemb1y is on 15 September, and we must doit through a Government decree.
DURO BRODARAC:
Yes, it should be done urgently, urgently, becnuse today ...
DR. JURE RADié:
Because the three -month deadline has already expired for Okucani, and that's
an area where we must then be able to move people in nlready.
PRESIDENT:
Yes, of course. People are coming, und I don't know who says, REBié or
somebody else, that they are going to put them in camps. (Camps are out of the
question.)
GOJKO SUSAK:
President, ... a thousand are coming from Banja Luka.
OTPIDVU 12 oJJ;
229
Eng li.sh Trans/ntion ET0635 -59! 1-0653-59.î.i
PRESIDENT:
Camps are out of the question, and therefore , we-must see about thnt.
DR. JURE RADié:
We have good bouses, intact houses, who do we keep them for?
NIKICA V ALENTié:
So, move them into the bouses, and we wiJI provide for that by a law or decree
in Ille coming days.
AJ.""\1TUN VRDOLJAK:
So, they must know that if they move into the bouse we will not ...
IV AN ~IlLAS:
Mr. President, it doeso't even need to be that way, you put everyt]tlng under
the state's sequestration and gjve guarantees to those inside that nobody will touch
them, the state deals with them, and we put that also for these ... (We did.)
VLADIMIR SEKS:
President, we did put it into the law, for the second reading, but the people that
move into a bouse have ownerslùp security, they don ' t want ternporary use, they must
invest., repair, kecp it in order, 1hey want to own it.
PRESIDENT:
Yes, well, tbat's clear, it's in ourinterests too. SARINié.
OTPIDVU 13 of 18
230
Enghsh Tmnskltioll ET0635 -591 l-0653 -5933
HRVOJE SARINié:
Mr. President_ first. as far as l understand. the Jaw is about allotment of
temporary housing and l' m sure that nobody. or very few people, will move in under
these conditions. Al a VONS /Defencc and National Security Council/ meeting 1
already said. where 1 asked about the case when the French left Algeria. The case set a
precedent that the whole international community subsequently adopted , that is, the
Algerians moved into ail abandoned flats. bouses belonging, in fact, to the French.
and then the state paid, for ten years, a symbolic franc for this into a fund, so. simply
for the sake of fom1. And they said. when resolving the wllole problern., what they
collected over ten years would be made avai]able. We have the succession, which will
take place, so, we could create such a fund an<l say, we will include that into the
succession., and the succession ... But, quite the opposite , people have moved in with
definite guarantees that they move into the houses etc.
PRESIDENI' :
Yes, we should definitely do that, but there we can, I mean, it didn 't go as
individuaJ compensation, if from a Jegal point of view they should be individually
compensnted, then we should doit., and then we have the right that he did not take
part in the war against Croatia, in lhe destruction of Croatia, etc.
DURO BRODARAC:
Nobody can gel such ...
r PRESIDENf: ï
Plense, we must be ... If they could destroy half of Croatia, then we must be ...
Lenough to, now that we can doit. j
OTPIDVU Uo / 18
231
06355880
ZAPISNIK
SA SASTANKA ODRZANOG •
DANA:
U:
POèETAX SASTA.Nli:
ZA VUETAK SASTANKA:
· 11. kolo\'oza 199!. god1ne
PREDSJEDNIOO DVORI - Sjmni salon
17,00 sati.
18,1d) sati,
232
06355881
SNIMANO!
ZAPISNIK
A sjtidDk:c Pn:dljedDiltva Hrva1ste demotnb:kc r.ajcdnlcc, odrf.aDe 11. JtoJovœa 1995.
godÎDc u Preœ,jc,dniWm dvorima
.
·-
... '. ·.
Poo$k u 17,00 mi
PRBDSJBDNIK.:
Oospoclje ·l IOIP()Clo. otnnm ljedDica PRmjadmltft Hrnlm demoknab
1. Polldi!b. situlcija nùDD oslobodjcuja okupinnih podlUija;
2. Prijedlog pm'ffdbe Ir.bora i izmjeae u lzbomJm mom;
3. Datum odrtavaqit Treéeg sabora HDZ-a;
4. Raz no.
Uvodoo u 1. toebl • DWlllm da mogu UllYlditi da Je Ï. OllobodjcaJcm ...
233
06355882
HU - 2 -
Hmam demomtab r.ajcdnica iBpunila g)avni svoj programsk.i cilj o uspostavi i 01igunnju
budŒnosd slobodne i œuvime demomtske Hrvatske.
Sve do sa.da dot nismo oslobodili Kain b11d1aéoost Hrvatüc dlf.avc bila je u
pitmju. Bila je u pitanju. œ :zbog volje brvatskog oaroda Jroju je oo izr:uio na svim izborima
Jcojc smo lmali dajutl po'tjeienje prijc ivega Hrlllbkoj dcmoknuùnj ujednicl u Cijc ruke je
polotio m,ju sudbinu, ncgo :rbog IOga lto ai svi mcdjmwodni ambcnici svc do tog
momema joJ urijet ipctulirali sa lime bko rijditi triru na tlu bivle Jugœlavije. sa
Ollobodjcojcm tih okupiranih podrufja s:redilqjc Hr:vmke to je definitivno sldnuto s·dnewog
reda buduax,st Hrvllt.skc dr!ave, a cime i brvatskog m.roda je os~. • . .. .
Dragi lb:aDl&i prijllelji., mof.emo bid poDDSOi sa djeloni :~ji smo obavili.
R.azumijc se ml posao jol Dije obavljeo, ali 90~ ndeg prognma je i7.a nu .. Za sve ovo
vrijrme, ~ i u ove dine oslobadja.nja KniDa bio am pod nepxatlniro pritiakom bk i odih
prijatelja b>je smo mla:lll u otvorenhn medjwwodDim odnosfma. dlplom1hkhn, a mislim
prije svega u llu:tbenlm Jaugovima Sjedinjenib .AmeriCkih ~ i Njematke, a zatim i ~
dmgim dcmokraU1dm laugovima u ostalim r.emljama. Ali ipak pod pridrima da àk i oœ
pollti&e mage b>jc IU bllc S mm& Disu asvim &lijediJc JIii pn,gl1JD i nisu bile spremœ da
nu podupru u ostvan:Dju tog programa. najbolji je :r.mt bio da na tom sbtpu Buk:uRltu
Dismo joi primJjenî tao pn.Yi &novt u ujednic:u EuIOplkih kdéusko-cboomtüib. stnmb.
i da w se prit.om bt suzdrf.alc llkve l1rullœ kilo lto je Njema&l . To vam naJbolje govori
o tome lcato tü:va Hrvatsb deJnolaatsb zajednica kù:Ya jestc i koja je sve to stupa
OSMrila, kù.o fak i u onim politifkiul redovima Europe l avijeta lcojl bi i te bko tn:bal.i biti
zainll:relirani nfje bna1a punu podrttu. I tala, su mi mvljali primjcdbe nep,reabl.DO lta te biti
.~
sa. HDZ, je li u njoj previle Jromuuilta iU œ u njoj prcvladatl desni clemc:nti, i ni u jedœ
234
06355883
HU • 3 -
odl~ na ddavnom plmu nisam imao suglamosti.
No. sve je to prcbrodjeœ. A, da Je to llto, puma i ovib dana i od boœllra
Khola. pa i od prcdsjcdnlta CSU Weiscla i poIUb predgjcdnib Cllnrona, Uudska prava.
prava srpske cmifkc zajcdoicc to ih zanima ild. Do top, od ooog plana Z-4 koji su nap~vill
oall prijatclji Galbraith i Ahreos, pa do toga da se amcri&i ambasador î juœr toliko uzbudio
da nam prcdWe i daljc da vodimo pregovorc sa Babiœm ili pak da bi moj miniltar
uwtamjih poslova, doslovcc tako, ttebao dati ostavtu jcr je hrvatsl:o mooitvo napalo ove
Srt>c koji bjde, a policija to llije sprijeala. Da bi poslije podne, o tmne bl valjda Brodarac
mot.da vi!e mao, ~ i 1jeo ne zoam na trattor ili zapn:ba kola s aj~. . . ; . Pœma tome, to su prililœ gospodo u kojbna smo d.mu svê;-~ slœpa stvorili.
I medju oama . rc:6::no. jum da sam sve te dobronamjeme ili pak aavjdc ooc koji su
proi%JazPî •...
235
06355911
6/2 lj
Daldc. preostaje oarnda odredimo datum odrbvanja Tre6cg aabora. Prijedlog
je da se ~insb stuplliDe odrf.e prije, a f;upanîjsb: skupltine 6-8. listopada. i to u tom
vrememi sve, a Tteéi sabot 14--1S. listopada. (Listopada, ili?) Listopllda. da, listopada.
10.mjeseca. da. Dalde, da se Sabor zapotoe, redovno svojc zasjedanje 15. - m.islim 1S.
rujna, Sabor, ovaj addnji Sabar 1S. rujœ, dr:bvni Sabor, jer on DJOn. donijeti promjcœ
ulzbomomzakmm. (Pobitnompoauptu.)-Da, pohi1Dompoanptu, Dakle. i vjerojatDDooda
ra.spustiti scbc. Tato da hi se OŒla mogli ruphati izbori.
!upanijsb: .... )
(Ovl datumi koje stc retll. ovi prvi dabJmi tojc stc retll, za· ~ i
.
•.
... .
Da se tupanijllœ akupiti.œ, da bi ,c uklopilc, da oc biaaÛ:l ~ vrijemc, i
da bi se uklopile u cak.w izbomu atmosfero. oddc od 6-8. lîstcpadl.. Prijc. toga, mafi
b:mcljni; i~lmb. Treéi abor tjc:dan dina poslijc top. 14. i 15. listoplda. Juno à V1ada
lto bi lld,aJo prcm:sti. i caJ popis vjeiojatao poœtkDm rujm.. o.i:u;m.) Molim. 1.ntjna.
(Popilbirata. .• )
DRAOO KRFINA:
Kû:o temo Srbc izabntl u Sabor?
Datlc. C'VO, .nakon popisa.
236
06355912
6/31j
DRAOO KRPINA ..
Ali, vile nas ne obvezuje ono 8~. (Ne, ne.)
PRFJ>S1EDNIK:
Upnvo to. da odralimo postOtl]c. jer na OSQOVU top te trebati provesti i
promjcnc u Ustavnom z:ûoœ. jer ja mam da tel ti ....
DRAGOKRPINA:
Gospodlne Predsjedniœ, mom se promijeniti Ustavni ~
PREDSIBDNIK:
._ .
. · .. ' . · ..
Da. pa da, i upravo zato mm 1XCba. taj papis da bismo imall ono lto rvi mamo
ada mamo, da bilmo imali i stvarœ podlogu a to.
ND'JCA V AU?.Nné:
Je li potmai oportuno da se UMdi, ima 3~ Srt>a u HrYltm>j oq 1remb.
PRBDSJEDND{:
To œée biti ovog tn:mrtb, to œ bltl r.a qeacc dam..
NDCICA V ALENTié:
Dobro, ajcsec dina, Yidite, mot.da, ovabJ fü:tiW je bi~. œ formaloo za
-- ou, jcr tu je, imatc dva vile, ncgoli ... idcmo sa ~ da ima 3~ Srba u Hrvatskoj.
237
06355913
6/4 Ij
Nlldce, ato to PC bismo utvnlili, ooda bi nam postavljali da provedc:mo
kotarcve, nd.
Ne. ja samo posravljam to piranjc, jer to je ipak vczano za ctni&> fi§écajc,
jer su opcmbc mje · te biti i a i8J'C lrojc œ se nutaviti, itd.
PREDSJEDNIK:
'
To onl govorc, ali molim Ujcpo, atvamoltjc mamost i ~lœst polltb,
istD llko ...
IV AN MIL.AS:
Dandnji prijcd.los ide za dm da 1C Musltmaœ-. pteblcl iz Gord.da baj
Sll'ljen, 1 0œ iz Suajcva da IC tlmO picblci U Gord.de, llu!beœ ~ •.• Alco 0lll
mogu ID, nr:ma n.zlop da ne bi ....
PRFDSJEDNIK:
Datlc, 1 tim. da bi tn:balo ••. ako ne mofa:oo u Uataw m.ijeqjatj, da li mof.emo
1n Usa.vmm zatonom, da se hie - DC1D1 muslimaaa bo mciomJ:nost, neao Bolnjaci.jer 10
Dllil je nt.no, jcr bda. œmo propilinti mclona1nc uw,Ji.ne, da mm se, i vcliki broj bi se
otpisao bo poeebna maslîm!nab mcionalDOlt. te.da ée biti boàJJ1fb " ...
238
06355926
8/l lj
.•.. Cid>alo staviti u k:onœbt bsnije sub::esije mlmh ltda i svcga œtaloga. tao !to je to
poalijc drugog svjctstog nta bilo a ltalijom. MlslJm. da se to mot.c i politiW i pravno, î na
sve d.ruge mtine braniti.
NJKICA V ALENTié:
Prcdsjedaiœ, tod ovog zakona, bitno je da na! oovjck ima sigumost, i da ne
mof.c biti izbatcn, to je, po meni, bitno, Ill formulaciju, jcr ~ .nilko uéi ako on za godiw
dam mœc biti izbaœn. Sida je pitanje Jcoja je oajzgodnija forma da ispunimo ·ta; Adrbj,
Jcoji je osnovni.
-:. . ' ' ·.
DR JURE RADié;
Ne:m hitnijc IMrl od te, dams u HIVllsbJj ncma hitoije stvui od top. jer
upravo ru. ljudi m. doluku, Hrnti, i ja œ 2:DIID, mi IJCffl.lmo preglcd o tome, ail ne zmm
da li mate da Vojnif bna smao 51 stanovnib d.Ulu, to je ~ ocf 15 tisuéa Jjudi u b>ji
mof.rmo mtn nap,nitl 15 tisufa. da jcdan Lapac im tlko im& 14 mnovnib, 14 Hmla,
Donji Lapac 14 SWJOVDika. (To je vile ocgo lto tuéa hm .... ) SJd.an se, an 10 je tOlikD
straldki bitno, i na takvom polot.aju da ID0BIDO obnoviti te b.Jœ, Gojko, i staviti u · ojih
l-lrvate, na tù:vom je polof.aju to mjesto.
PREDSJEDNIK:
Ja sam uz nwliblniju, ako je nctko napustlo zcmlju i ne pojavljujc se tu, ne
zoam, mjesec dan.a, lll tri mjelcca. icd, da se to smatra. mdjlte fon:nolaciju - dda'YDOlll .•.
imovinom, itd . Mi smo b:ull iz rata, ird, i odreditc to tû:o.
239
06355927
8/2 ljb
NIKICA V ALENTié:
Ne tri mjeseca. tri mjescca je ptt.dugi rok. p nama su ...
PREDSJEDNIK:
Dobro, ODda mjesec dana.
DR IURE RADié:
Daklc, ooda to monmo iéi URdbom Vladc,nc moh:mo œbd .•. : i Sabota je
15.9. 1 mi monmo iéi um1bom Vb.dc.
tlURO BRODARAC:
~ to trcba hitno, hitoo, jer C\'O CWIU ... ,
DR JURE RADiê:
Jer, saj rok od tri mjescca je za Obàœ veé pnmo. ito je prostor u Ja>jem
moramo ODda ~ vet ucljavati.
PREDSJEDNIK:
Da, pa Juno. Dolazc ljudi i, ne mam tko kde. Rdrif, ili netm da ée ih
smjdtavati u logorc. (Nib.tve logore.)
GOIKO SuJAK:
Predsjedniœ, ... tisuéa ide i.z. Banja Lukc.
240
06355929
8/4 Ij
PREDSIEDNJK:
Da, pa to je jamo, i mma je u inten31. &rinié.
Iot.HRVOJE ~ARINié:
GospodiDc Prcdsjcdniec, prvo, ja sam shvati.o da u ovome mom se govori
o prim:mcz:iom u.seljeoju i uvjcren am da nitko ne6:: htjeti W vrlo mali broj pod dm uvjctim.l
se useliti. Ja am vcé na jednom. amaku VONS-a bio b.%.ao, gdje am se înteccsirao o
slu&ju oda su Francuzi napultali Alflr. U tom slubju je bio oapravljcnjedan presedan kojl
je cijcla mcdjunarodna zajednica bila iza toga usvojila, tj. A1tirci ~ se uselili u sve •.
, . mpultme mnove, kuœ kojc su dakle FœJcuza. ionda je drf.ava davali, i~ 10 godina
u jedan folld jedan simbolil!oi franak po ovomc, daklc. jcdnostavno da se forma spui.. I,
.
bzall aµ da éc se kxxl cjelokDpoog ljc:lavmja problc:ma to lto se bodc sakupilo trœ 10
godina 1taviti na rupolaguJe.Mi bnamo cub:e&iju, b>ja éc bid. daklc, mi bi mogU tabv
jcdan fond oapravid, pa R:éi, 10 eemo staviti u ll'Uktaiju. a sub:el~a ... A, mprotiv ljudi su
se Ulelili a defimti\'Dom praocljom da te usel,pvu u te bJéc· itd.
PREDSJEDNIK:
Da, to mi trdJamo ddinitivno, 1 tim da tu mi mot.emo. zmfi, tu nijc iJla
pojo::liu1ma œkoad•. ako je rijet o prtVDOID da bi se trebalo pojc:dimbn• natnadu, ouda bi
trebalo, i o.oda mi imamo pnvo danije sudjelovao u ratu protiv Hrvmke. u ruariuvu
Hrvatw,, itd.
BURO BRODARAC:
Ne mof.c nitlco dobiti takw ...
241
06355930
8/5lj
PRBDSJEDNIK:
Mollm. pa moramo biti .. . Ako su oni bill bd.ri da mm rmule polovicu
Hrvatske,ooda mi moramo biti dovotjno .•• da, sa.da bda imamo moguénosti.
DURO BRODARAC:
Prcdsjednlœ. mi smo sada-obWl Topusko, Vrginmost,Ovor, mi tamo oe
moh:mo vntiti ni prosvjeme radnie, ni lljcfnikc, ni sudstvo, ako im. to ne dama . Ptema.
tome, ovo lto bf.e g.!arinié, to treba odmah primijeniti, od sutra neka ljudi ulnt, 1 gotovo.
PRBDSJEDNIK:
Dobro, œb Vlada œbxn uredbom, da.
IV AN Mil.AS:
Samo da nclto btmn, ovih dam je ustavDi sud ~ potvrdio ••. detm ~
1945. godinc o Jcdnomwo odnztmanje Jmovinc, ddactom Berld(?). pn:dsjednik ropubUlœ
je 10 .•• l, umvni sud je potmllo da je to pravno ispravm, i ima bmrim1iœt. Nisu ni oui bd
vile ~\'ili.
DR JURB R.AJ>It:
U U>mc poslu imamo rada dosta œreda, jer jcdna f.upanije ndi mjedoa mfln,
drop na drugi, jedna opana. itd. la P""'••tmi da se bJ ltVlr dogovorimo ovdj~, i da to bude
vrlo œotrllàirano, Dije svejedoo gdje éemo doseliti i naseliti tovjeb, ocgo da se
··'
dogovorimo Dico s ruine drtave se to radi, ali da oncb zriaju ...

ANNEX68
Excerpts f rom the Record of a meeting between the
President of the Republic of Croatia, Dr. Franjo
Tudman, and Minister Dr. Jure Radié, held on 22
August 1995 at the Presidential Palace in Zagreb

245
English Partial Translation ET 0186-4152-0186-4209
RECORD
DATE:
OF A MEETING HELD ON
22nd August 1995
AT: THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE
THE MEETING BEGUN AT: 12:00
END ED AT: 13 :20
THE PRESENT: Or. Jure RAOié
NAMES OF PERSONS WHO ATTENDED THE MEETING WITH THE
PRESIDENT:
RECORDED!
RECORD
of a meeting between Franjo TUDMAN, president of the Republic of Croatia and Dr.
Jure RADié, held on 22nd August 1995 in the Presidential Palace.
Beginning at 12:00
DR JURE RADié:
Are you very busy?
PRESIDENT:
It's always the same.
DR JURE RADié:
lt is very busy in my sector now.
PRESIDENT:
0 K, why are you letting these refugees temporarily ... ?
DR JURE RADié:
REBié did sorne stupid things about that, president V ALENTié and I have met now
and concluded that he was doing that on his own accord, he just won't listen to
anybody sometimes. I told hirn that was a stupid thing and I told him that if they need
to be accommodated that we should accommodate them in a school in Gracac, that's
what I told him.
PRESIDENT:
Y es, all over the place.
r DR JURE RAD lé:
I've just had a staff /as printed/ all the county executives from the liberated areas are
here, so they gave some information on the situation in the terrain. l've got two or
three things to tell you about this.
1
The main problem is the people. We don't have any people in these areas, and ifyou
L don't have people there's no one to take care of cattle, no one to do anything. .J
PRESIDENT:
Mobilisation of the civil defence is what should be done there.
OTPIDVIU 1 of37
246
English Partial Translation ET 0186-4152-0186-4209
DR JURE RADié:
We have just talked about that today and we shall make that decision tomorrow with
the Government, to mobilise the civil defence from other areas in order to bring
people over there.
Mine clearance is a drawback and that is going to stay that way. There's simply no
way out.
PRESIDENT:
OK, but in a way it is better than we expected it to be.
DR JURE RADié:
Yeah, yes it is, I also think it's better. Sometimes people are afraid more than there's a
need for, but here, a guy got killed while fixing the power-transmission line just
yesterday. I think that the public companies did a very good job, almost everybody
from roads, railways, to electric power industry, especially the electric power
industry. In just a f ew days the electrical energy will be brought to all the liberated
places. They need a month more for that big power-transmission line towards
Dalmatia, but OK, it' s not that much. Once that is finished then a great deal of work
will be solved. These hydroelectric power plants that have been liberated are about to
be put into operation and that' s a good thing.
But the people are the problem. We an·anged the returns to be caITied out in three
phases, three groups. One of them is the people who can return to their homes right
away. We provide them with free glass, paint, we formed intervention groups and that
is being done.
r The second group is the people who can go to the deserted houses near their own '
houses. We're having a lot of problems here, they are offering resistance. How should
this be done, we simply can't find a way to force our people to doit. Sorne are eager
to go, for example Kijevljani in most of the cases accepted to go to Knin. But the
people froin Banija region won't go to Petrinja. You see Saborski, we had a
discussion in Plaski today and Saborski has got nothing at all and Plaski is whole /as
printed/. They say "I am not going to move twice ... " ...
PRESIDENT:
Why would they move twice?
DR JURE RADié:
OTPIDVIU 2 of37
247
English Partial Translation ET 0186-4152-0186-4209
Today ove,r there, and tom01rnw to Saborsko.
PRESIDENT:
W ell, let them stay there.
DR JURE RADié:
They wouldn't, people are a bit tough about that.
PRESIDENT:
Wait, is he afraid that he wouldn't be safe?
DR JURE RADié:
He's afraid he wouldn't be safe and he's afraid some Serb might corne tomorrow.
That' s one thing. And second, he would rather go to his own house over there. I
would look at it in the same way, but he has to corne temporarily. We'll have to corne
up with some order or something, to be a bit harsher with this in order to take the
people there.
PRESIDENT:
L Remove him, if he's being offered, he should be removed from the list of refugees. J
DR JURE RADié:
And from the list of allowances, and he should be given maximum allowances in the
place we're sending him to, as muchas we can.
And the third group are people who don't have any possibilities for provisional
accommodation near their areas, where the area is completely destroyed, like Drnis
and Drnis area.
PRESIDENT:
W ait, it' s not quite like that.
DR JURE RADié:
It has been ruincd, very much. You have been to the main region only, but Drnis is the
second biggest border town in Croatia, Vukovar first, then Drnis, 25 thousand people.
There was only one thousand of Serbs there. When I am talking about the town, I
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mean the villages as well. Everything around it bas been ruined, out of 25 thousands
maybe some 5 thousands could return, and 20 thousands can't. That's the situation in
Drnis. Drnis is the most typical one. As for Slunj, Ithink we'll manage to get the
majority back to the city, because all the villages around it have been ruined, but we
are going to need a year to renovate everything around it.
So, in my opinion one third of 120 thousand shall remain questionable, and as for the
remaining two thirds of 120, that is, 80 thousand, we shall be able to either get them
back in a mon th or two months' time or take them off the refugee status.
However, our goal is to take them off the refugee status. The biggest problem is
bringing people over there. I sat down and analysed it a bit. ..
PRESIDENT:
Jure, regarding these returns, we, as Croatia, should go for inviting people to corne
back and paying for their trips from Argentina, Australia, etc. We should organise
some charter flights or ships and tell them they could choose, give them bouses, give
them land, even take some kind of apollon what they would be interested in. We
have to offer them such a possibility, but the state should pay for that.
DR JURE RADié:
Tt won 't cost us a thing.
PRESIDENT:
That would mean a thousand people, and they would enter the Serb bouses etc.
DR JURE RAD lé:
Correct, correct, the space is empty. That is the main subject I would like to talk to
you about now.
W e simpl y don' t have any potential for Iif e in that are a. Here, the manager of the
railways told me today, we shall establish the traffic services now, but I mobilised, as
the railways, /as printed/ mobilised people from Vinkovci and from Osijek to work,
but there will be a lack of people there once we open it. So, we are lacking people in
some branches.
rHowever, one thing I have to tell you is that I visited all this now both by car and by Ï
helicopter. Our men torched a lot, they're torching today, as they did yesterday
President, it' s no good.
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.I went to Kijevo to see, I know that area very well. There ts a village of Cviljane near
Kijevo, of equal size , a Serb village where they renewed nice houses and told them
everything has been preserved. I got there on the Day of Assumption of the Virgin
L Mary to find everything has been burned down. Not in the cities because the _J
authorities were obviously more powerful there, but in the villages. It's not the army,
it' s that 5th echelon which is under I don 't know whose, what kind of a banner /as
printed/, put on a uniform, wander about , those are the worst tramps torching and
looting around /as printed/. That is our property, it's not someone else's , what ifhe
burned down the Serb village near Kijevo wher e we could accommodate our
populati on? Here, I received a-letter of the same content from the cardinal, asking me
and saying that he had received a letter from some Cilko guy saying that our men are
torching those places over there. I am not telling you hearsay but the things I' ve
experienced myself and seen with my own eyes, torching and looting.
PRESIDENT:
So, we said military police right away and civil police right after that.
DR JURE RAD lé :
The civil is in but according to my estimate the main problem her e is the army-police
relationship, because there is nothing the police can do to the army. If someone shows
upas the army, then problems will corne right after that. We have to have the civil
authorities in the villages . CERMAK is not holding power in Knin , he's not the one
who can say who's going to enter which house, who's doing what. This is just an
example l'm telling you.
PRESIDENT:
W ait a second, hadn 't I sent CERMAK to Knin, it wou ld have been horrible there.
DR JURE RADié :
I agree, maybe I didn 't use the right example, precisely because we're a.Il using it, but
the milit ary authorit y cannot run civil matters in the terra in, military auth ority cannot
decide on who goes to which house.
PRESIDENT:
It cannot. But it can maintain order in these transitional periods.
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They had a tank brigade over there, which means officers.
DR JURE RADié:
It is so well preserved that I simply can't explain that to you.
PRESIDENT:
And, our men were not torching Benkovac?
DR JURE RADié:
No, no, the little towns were not ruined and that is a good thing. I am just afraid they
might start today, because, l'm telling you l've been to some villages that weren't
burned down several days aga, so it happened in the last couple of days. I flew in a
helicopter over the place three days aga and you can still see the smoke over that area.
Cviljani was burning on the Day of Assumption of the Virgin Mary, not that it was
burned down, but still burning, burning on that day. So, something has to be done
about that right now.
PRESIDENT:
There may be something, and not just army, but these neighbours from Kijevo that
have been expelled, oh I will ... to the people of Cviljani .. ./as printed/
DR JURE RAD lé:
They're probably revenging, but he cannot get in there because the police control him.
So he puts on a military uniform, because now everybody wears a military uniform.
Everybody is walking around the city in them, even those who have never been to
army. /as printed/ I think it' s primarily the ones who have never even been to the
army, the ones who drag that /as printed/, rob, take awa:y etc.
Now look, I have been looking around this area a bit, the biggest centres where we
should focus on return, regarding the national interest. I have tried to make a
chronological order or some kind of hierarchy and in my opinion I would like to
discuss this with you a bit as printed/.
The map of the whole area is of a strategic importance for Croatia. I coloured it with
different colours. This is what has always been critical for us in the history, not Knin,
we'll manage to do that slowly.
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Gf you ask me the first, /as printed/ I defined 5 priorities according to the urgency of Ï
colonising these places with Croats.
If you ask me this thing right here is the first and the second priority, we should bring
Croats back here urgently and this area should be urgently colonised with Croats and
we should by no means let more that 10% of Serbs be here ever again. Because, that's
where we were eut off.
PRESIDENT:
LNot even 10%.
DR JURE RAD lé:
OK, I am talking about 10%. So, the first priority of colonising is this right here, in
my opinion Petrova and Zrinska Gora. That's where we have to establish some kind
of a city sooner or later. We also have Vojnié and Veljun, a somewhat smaller place,
but Vojnié is a bigger place.
However, by our companies, opening factories, just as the Serbs did in Licki Osik. /as
printed/ I visited that factory. That looks marvellous. They built apaitments for 4000
people, where we can bring people right away it's just that we don't have anybody.
Somewhere in this area we must build ...
PRESIDENT:
That has been preserved too?
DR JURE RADié:
Everything has been preserved, completely wonderfully preserved.
PRESIDENT:
The factory as well?
Jure RADié:
An ammunition factory, looks great.
PRESIDENT:
It is the only wai· factory in Croatia.
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Jure RADié:
Glamoc, part of Livanjsko Polje, Grahovo, up to Drvar , including Drvar itself, and
here it is Srb and Lapac, those municipalities. Do you know that ethnicall y the Î
cleanest municipality in Croatia was Donji Lapac , the cleanest. It was the only
municipality in Croatia made up of one nation, 99 percent. There are several others in
Herzegovina, but it is the only municipality composed 99 percent of one nation.
PRESIDENT:
Prob ably none of them remain ed?
Jure RADié:
LYes, none. .J
PRESIDENT:
Listen, 1 am meeting with the a:rmy tommrnw, I gave them the set up of areas of
responsibility, military institutions and detachments. Do it on a bigger map, so I could
show it to them. The army is a priority, followed by development, because with the
army we begin at onc e.
Therefore, I am moving the area of responsibility from Split to Knin, and that already
makes hundreds of officers, non-commissioned officers , families etc.
Jure RADié:
In my opinion, Knin is the third highest priority. Tous, Knin does not have to have
30,000 inhabitants. Tomo1Tow it will have 20,000 , it was artificially made to be
30,000. There is no reason for so rnany people to live there. If the rear holds, if we get
five in Grahovo, then that's it.
PRESIDENT:
We have to regard it, in connection with that.
Jure RADi é :
This green here, it is a very attractive area to develop , and we wouldn 't have to
populate it, the people would corne by themselves, they will want to corne to
Benkovac, but we have to set up an agency ...
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By Germans.
The President:
ET0J 86-4152-0186-4209
We can go with that. Germans will really gladly offer to organise a planned return.
Dr. Jure RADié:
We can do that with Germans. I talked to their Minister SCHEIBER. He even offered
us some money for each returnee.
The President:
That is all right.
Dr. Jure RADié:
Those relations can be strengthened and they can be returned.
r . The President: 1
Jure, create a project now, say, we offer apartments, land in this and this areas etc.,
corne back.
Dr. Jure Radié
Ok, we will take care of it in accordance with instmction of the government. They
have soften it just a little bit because obviously the legal aspect of th_at is ...
The President:
Which one?
Dr. jure RADié
According to present instruction it wont be given in possession but in use because the
world ...
The President:
For how long?
Dr. Jure RADié:
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To use it for 10 years, which is not bad. During that period man has to live there,
because someone might want it to sell it. After 10 years man would become owner.
LThere is a point in that. Now, the crucial issue is to agree upon division in the Bosnia, J
what belongs to Croat, what belongs to Muslims. We have to offer an accommodation
here for the refugees from Muslim areas. So, what are we definitely giving up in
Bosnia? I believe we are not definitely giving up on Posavina, aren't we ? Most of the
people are from Posa vina, we talk about 100 000 Croats.
The President:
Between us, it is almost illusionary to expect that we regain some areas of Posavina , it
is important that we keep under control what we have now.
Dr. Jute RADié:
So, one problem is Posavina, other is the central Bosnia from Tuzla all the way to
Vitez, including Sarajevo. That is hopeless.
The President:
Therefore, we are focusing on Busovaca, Bugojno, Novi Travnik, if we can get that.
Dr. Jure RADié:
Look, we can get Kupres back. It is unreasonable that they do not want to return but
still stay in the hotels. They say that some hill above them has not been libera ted yet.
They call it Demirovac, which is directly above Kupres. As I was told, there were
Serb villages in this area, which are now being settled by the Muslims. Our people
refuse that. We have to find a way to return people over there. Kupres , it is not
strategically my priority but this hinterland of Dubrovnik, that is also important
question. We have to keep Stolac Croat, probably Trebinje if.· ..
This is the priority just as Petro va Gora, as Banovina.
The President:
If we could do something with J ajce .. .
Dr. Jure RADié:
That will be difficult with Muslims.
r The President:
The best solution is to make a deal with Muslims. On the other hand, our strategy has
to focus on keeping them close tous and convert them to Croats gradually . That will
be very difficult but not as with Serbs today , because Serbs had Belgrade and power,
.,
Lthey won't. ..J
Dr. Jure RADié:
OTP/DVIU 24 of 37
255
ZAPISNIK
-SA SASTANKA ODllZANOGDANA:

U:
POèETAK SASTANKA:
ZA VRSET AK SAST ANKA:
22. kolovoza 1995. godine ·
PREDSJEDNICKI DVORI -
12,00 sati.
lJ,20 sati.
y . , SASTANKU SU BILi NAZOCNI: DR JURE RADIC
IZASLANSTVO U SASTAVU:
PRIBIV ALI. UZ PREDSJEDNIKA:.-.
"'
01864152
256
01864153
SNIMANO!
, .... ··\ ZAPISNI
sa razgovora Predsjednika Republike Hrvatske dr Franje Tudmana, sa gospodinom dr Jurom
Radiéêm, odrzanog 22. kolovoz.a 1995. godine u Predsjednickim dvorima
Pocetak u 12,00 sati
DR JURE RADié:
Imate puno posla?
PREDSJEDNII(:
Uvijek isto.
DR JURE RADié:
Sada je na mom sektoru pu.no posla.
PREDSJEDNIK:
Dobro, z.asto dopusta.te da ove izbjeglice privremeno ... ?
257
HU . - 2 - 01864154
DR JURE RADié:
Tu je Rebié gluposti radio, sada smo sjeli predsjednik Valentié i ja s njim i
rekli, to je on samoinicijativno radio, neda se krstiti ponekad. Ja sam mu rekao, to je
glupost, ako ih treba smjestiti, smjestimo ih u skolu u Gracacu, rekao sam mu.
PREDSJEDNII(:
Da, pa svuda.
DR JURE RADié :
Upravo sam sada imao stozer, svi su mi zupani tu iz oslobodjenih podrucja pa
su malo izvijestili o problemima na terenu. Tu éu vam reéi dvij~, tri stvari.
Glavni problem je covjek. Nemamo na tim podrucjima ljudi, a kada nemate
ljudi onda nema tko ni stoku pokupiti, nema tko ni bilo sto napraviti.
PREDSIEDNIK:
.. Tu treba izvrsiti mobilizaciju civilne mtite.
DR JURE RADié:
Upravo smo danas o tome razgovarali, i sutra éemo na Vladi tu odluku donijeti
da se civilnu zastitu mobilizira iz drugih krajeva da se tamo dovedu ljudi.
Deminiranje je poteskoéa i to ée biti. Tu jednostavno nema izlaza.
258
01864155
HU - 3 -
PREDSJEDNIK:
Dobro, ali ipak na svoj nacin je ipak manje nego sto smo ocekivali.
DR JURE RADié:
Je, je, ja isto mislim da je manje. Ljudi se ponekad vise boje nego sto je
potrebno, ali evo i jucer je neki poginuo kod uredjivanja dalekovoda itd. Mislim da su javna
poduzeéa obavila jako dobro posao, skoro svi, od cesta, zeljeznice, elektroprivrede, posebno
elektroprivrede. Tu ée za koji dan biti dovedena struja do svih oslobodjenih mjesta. Onaj
veliki dalekovod prema Dalmaciji treba im mjesec dana jos, ali dobro i to nije puno. Kad se
to dovrsi onda je stvamo velik dio posla rijesen. Ove hidrocentrale kreéu u pogon koje su
oslobodjene i to je jedna dobra stvar.
Ali, problemje s ljudima. Dogovorili smo da povratak ide u tri faze, tri grupe .
Jedna je oni koji se mogu vratiti u svoje kuée odmah. Mi njima dajemo besplatno staklo,
boju, odredili smo interventne grupe i to ide.
Druga grupa su oni koji mogu blizu svojih kuéa doéi u kuée kQje su napustene .
.. Tu imamo velikih problema, nedaju se. Kako to izvesti, jednostavno jos ne vidimo nacina
kako nase ljude prisiliti na to. Neki rado idu, recimo Kijevljani su u veéini slucajeva
prihvatili da idu u Knin. Ali ovi tu iz ovih prostora Banijskih nedaju se u Petrinju. Evo
Saborski, danas smo raspravljali u Plaski, Saborski potpuno nema nista, a Plaskije citav. Oni
kafu, neéu ja dva puta seliti ...
PREDSJEDNIK:
Zasto dva puta seliti?
259
HU - 4 - 018641'56
DR JURE RADié:
Danas ru, pa sutra u Saborsko.
PREDSJEDNIK:
Pa neka ru ostane.
DR JURE RADié:
To neée, ru je malo s ljudima tesko.
PREDSJEDNIK:
Cekaj, je li se boji da mu nije sigurno?
DR JURE RADiê:
Boji se da nije sigurno da mu neki Srbin ne bi sutra dolazio. To je jedno. A
drugo, ipak on radije hoée u svoju kuéu tamo. Ja bih isto tako gledao, ali privremeno mora
.. doéi. Mi éemo morati tu s nekom uredbom ili s necim malo ostrije iéi da se ljude odvede
tamo.
PREDSJEDNIK:
Skinuti, ako mu se nudja, skinut ga sa popisa prognanika.
DR JURE RADié:
I onih beneficija, a tamo mu dati beneficije na mjesto gdje ga saljemo tamo
260
01864157
HIJ - 5 -
mu moramo dati beneficije maksimalne koliko se god moze.
I treéa grupa su oni gdje nema u blizini njihovih prostora moguénosti za
privremeni smjestaj, gdje je potpuno stradalo podrucje kao sto je recimo Drnis i drniski kraj.
PREDSJEDNIK:
Cekaj, pa nije tako.
DR JURE RADié:
Stradao je, jako je stradao. Vi ste prosli samo onaj glavni dio, ali Drnis je
drugi po velicini prognanici grad u Hrvatskoj, Vukovar pa Omis, 25 tisuéa ljudi. Tamo je
bilo samo tisuéu Srba. Kada govorim o gradu, onda se misli i na sela. Sve naokolo je ' ,
sruseno, jer od njih 25, mozcla se 5 moze vratiti, a 20 ne moze. To je odnos u Drnisu. Drnis
je najtipicniji. U Slunju, mislim 'da éemo ipak uspjeti u Slunj vratiti veéinu u grad, jer sva
sela naokolo su srusena, ali treba nam godina danà. onda za to sve obnoviti naokolo.
Tako da po mojem gledanju jedna treéina od 120 tisuéa ée osta.,ti upitna, a dvije
.. treéine od 120, dakle 80 tisuéa éemo moéi sada kroz mjesec, dva ili vratiti ili ih skinuti sa
prognanickog statusa.
Medjutim, nama nije cilj da se oni skinu sa prognanickog statusa. Najveéi je
problem da ljude tamo dovedemo. Ja sam sjeo i malo analizirao ...
PREDSJEDNIK:
Jure, u ovom sklopu vraéanja, treba iéi na to da kao Hrvatska pozovemo i
platimo povratak ljudima iz Argentine, Australije itd. Organizirati nekakve carter Ietove ili
261
01864158
HI.J - 6 -
brodove, reéi im da mogu birati èak, da im dademo kuée, da im dademo posjede i èak neku
anketu provesti za sto bi bili zainteresirani, ali ponuditi im moguénost takvu, ali da to drzava
plati.
DR JURE RADié:
Ne kosta to nista nas.
PREDSJEDNIK:
Sta bi znaèilo da tisuéu ljudi, i ti ée onda uéi u te srpske kuée itd.
DR JURE RADié:
Toèno, toèno, prostor je prazan. To je i glavna tema o kojoj bih htio sada s
V ama razgovarati.
Na tom prostoru jednostavno ~ nêmamo potencijala za zivot. Evo, meni i
danas direktor zeljeznice kaze, mi éemo uspostaviti sada promet, ali ja sam piobilizirao, kao
~
zeljeznica mobilizirao ljude iz Vinkovaca i iz Osijeka da rade, ali falit ée tamo kada
otvorimo. Nama dakle u nekim strukama fali ljudi.
Medjutjm, jedna stvar koju vam moram reéi, ja sam obisao sada sve to i
kolima i helikopterom. Puno su nasi zapalili sada, pale i danas, pale i juèer Predsjednièe, to
je zlo.
Ja sam i~o u Kijevo vidjeti, znam jako dobro taj kraj . Kraj Kijeva ima selo
Civljane, koji je jednake velièine, srpsko selo koji su uredili fine kuée i rekli su mi da je sve
èitavo. Na veliku Gospu dodjem tamo i sve je izgorjelo. U gradovima ne, jer oèito je tu vlast
262
01864165
HU - 13 -
Helikopterom sam letio prije tri dana i iznad toga jos sada dimi. Na veliku
Gospu Civljani gore, ne da su izgorili, nego gore, taj dan gore. Tako da se tu mora sto prije
sada nesto napraviti.
PREDSJEDNIK:
Nesta mofe biti, i ne samo vojska, nego ti susjedi iz Kijeva koji su istjerani,
e pa sada éu Civljanima ja ...
DR JURE RADié:
Vjerojatno se osveéuju, ali on ne moze uéi tamo jer ga policija kontrolira, ali
on udje u vojnoj uniformi, jer svatk:o obuce sada vojnu uniformu, hodaju po gradu µ tome
i oni koji nisu nikada vojske vidjeli. Ja prvo mislim da su to oni koji nikada vojske nisu
vidjeli, ti koji to vuku, pljackaju, nose itd.
Sada gledajte, u tom prostoru ja sàm malo gledao, ovi najveéi centri gdje
bismo se morali usmjeriti na povratak, vezano s nacionalnog interesa. Probao sam sloziti
jedan redoslijed ili jednu hijerarhiju i po mom misljenju to bih htio sada s vama malo
prodiskutirati.
Kana citavog tog podrucja od strateske je vaznosti za Hrvatsku. Ja sam je tu
napravio u raznim bojama. Ovo je ono sto nam je bilo uvijek kriticno povijesno, ne Knin,
to stignemo polako.
Po meni prvi, ako idem, napravio sam pet prioriteta po hitnosti naseljavanja
Hrvatima.
Po meni je ovo tu, dakle prvi i drugi, ovdje treba hitno vratiti Hrvate, a ovo
263
HU - 14 - 01864166
hitno naseliti Hrvatima i ni pod koju cijenu ne dopustiti da ovdje bude vise od 10% Srba
nikada vise. Jer, tu je ono gdje smo presjeceni.
PREDSJEDNIK:
Ma ni 10%.
DR JURE RADié:
Dobro, govorim o brojci od 10%. Dakle, prvi prioritet naseljavanjaje ovo tu,
po mom gledanju, Petrova i Zrinska gora. Na tome mi vjerojatno moramo razviti neki gradié
danas sutra. Tu je Vojnié i tu je Veljun neko manje mjesto, ali Vojnié je malo veée mjesto.
Medjutim, poduzeéima nasim, otvaranjem tvorniça, kao sto recimo ~ Srbi
napravili u Lickom Osiku. Ja sam obisao tu tvornicu. Pa to izgleda velicanstveno. Za cetiri
tisuée ljudi su oni stanove izgradili, u koje odmah mo.zemo useliti mi ljude, samo nemamo
koga. Negdje na ovom prostoru mo~o sagraditi ....
•
PREDSJEDNII(:
I to je ostalo citavo?
DR JURE RADié:
Ostalo je citavo sve, potpuno lijepo sacuvano.
PREDSJEDNIK:
I tvornica?
264
01864168
HU - 16 -
Vojniéu 51, samo 51 Hrvat.
PREDSJEDNII<:
U Vrginmostu?
DR JURE RADié:
Njega nisam izvukao jer mi je on malo iznad, ali mogu vam to isto izvuéi, ali
isto jako malo. Tu ima jedno selo jedino, koje se zvalo Maja, koje je bilo veéinski hrvatsko
u tom prostoru crveno i ono sto je bilo veéinski hrvatsko, a plavo veéinski srpsko. I to je taj
kljucni prostor gdje bismo prvo trebali naseljavati.
Drugo, ovo sto je hrvatsko vratiti Hrvate hitno tu.
Sada treée, treéi prioritet ali koji treba paralelno raditi je ovo tu sto je
oslobodjeno hrvatsko i ovo tu sto je bilo potpuno srpsko, dakle ovaj kraj srafiran ovdje on
je bio preko 90% naseljen Srbµna, a sada je pod nasom kontrolom citav. Tu je jako malo
ljudi. To je sve skupa bilo ... ..
PREDSJEDNIK:
To je od Kupresa do Grahova.
DR JURE RADié:
Ovo Glamoc, dio Livanjskog polja, Grahovo, pa do D~ara i Drvar
ukljuèujemo u to i ovo, a ovdje Srb i Lapac, te opéine. Znate da je u hrvatskoj najèiséa
nacionalna opéina bila Donji Lapac, najciséa. Jedina opéina u kojoj je bilo jednog naroda
265
01864169
HU - 17 -
99%, toga nema nigdje u Hrvatskoj. Ima u Hercegovini vise, ali jedina opéina u kojoj je
jednog naroda 99%.
PREDSJEDNII(:
Valjda sada nije ostao ni jedan?
DR JURE RADié:
Ne, nema .
PREDSJEDNII(:
Slusaj, ja sutra imam sa vojskom, dao sam im r~jestaj zbornih pod,rucja i
vojnih institucija i postrojbi. Napravi ovo na jednoj veéoj karti, znaci situaciju gdje, da
imamo po prilici predodzbu, odnosno da njima to pokazem. Vojska u prvom redu, pa onda
razvitak, jer s vojskom ~ozemo odmah iéi.
Prema tome preselim Zbomo podrucje iz Splita u Knin i to su veé stotine
casnika, potcasnika, obitelji itd.
DR JURE RADié:
Knin je po morne u treéem redoslijedu prioriteta. Nama Knin ne mora imati
30 tisuéa stanovnika, sutra ima 10 i on je umjetno stvoren na 30. Tamo nema nika.kvog
razloga da bude toliko ljudi. Ako zaledje drzi, ako budemo u Grahovu imali 5, to je to.
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ministrom Sajberom. On je nudio da bi oni cak nama za svakog od povratnika ponudili neke
PREDSJEDNIK:
Dobro, to je u redu.
DR JURE RADié:
I te odnose mozemo ucvrstiti, vezati i njih vratiti.
PREDSJEDNIK:
Jure, napraviti sada jednu sliku, nudjamo stan~ve, zemljiste u tim i tim
podrucjima itd.' vraéajte se.
DR JURE RADié:
Dobro, idemo s Uredbom Vlade po kojoj to preuzimamo. Malp suje smeksali,
ali ne toliko bitno, jer ocito se ovaj dio upravno-pravni ...
PREDSJEDNIK:
Koji?
DR JURE RADié:
Neée se davati u vlasnistvo po sadasnjem prijedlogu, nego na koristenje da ne
bi svijet ...
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PREDSJEDNIK:
Na koristenje, koliko?
DR JURE RADié:
Na deset godina koristenje, sto nije lose. Kroz to vrijeme prisiljava covjeka
da bude tamo, jer netko bi prodao, mogao bi netko to i prodati, a nak:on toga postaje vlasnik:
toga, nakon 10 godina. Ima to svoju svrhu.
Kljucno je sada, dogovoriti se u Bosni, sto ée u Bosni biti hrvatsko, sto
muslimansko, i onda iz onoga gdje je muslimansko ako imamo prognanike tu im ponuditi
razmjestaj. Dakle, cega se mi u Bosni definitivno odricemo? Ja vjerujem da se ne odricemo
Posavine do kraja, jel tako? Jer, najveéi broj ljudi je iz Posavin~, to je sto tisuéa Hryata.
PREDSJEDNIK:
Mislim da zapravo osim onoga stô drzim da vraéamo u Posavini da je to
gotovo iluzomo, da bi trebalo osvajati itd., tako da nam je, medju nama recepa, da je vainije
da mi ove prostore imamo.
DR JURE RADié:
Dakle, jedan problemje Posavina, a drugi problemje sredisnja Bosna od Tuzie
pa sve dolje do Viteza, ukljucujuéi i Sarajevo. Tu nema sansi.
PREDSJEDNIIC:
Nema sansi, prema tome mi si driimo znaci ovo sto sam rekao od sredisnje
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Bosne, Busovaca, Bugojno, kada bismo mogli to dobiti, Novi Travnik.
DR JURE RADié :
Gledajte, Kupres ne mozemo vratiti, sto je stvarno suludo da oni stoje dolje
u hotelima, neée da se vraéaju, jer da to neko brdo iznad njih nije jos oslobodjeno.
Oni to zovu Demirovac, to je neposredno iznad Kupresa . Meni pricaju, u ovom dijelu su
srpska sela bila i kaze da tu se Muslimani naseljavaju, a nasi neée.
To bi trebalo jednostavno naéi nacin i vratiti ljude gore. Kupres, strateski
nisam to sada crtao, ali ovo zaledje Dubrovnika. To je isto veliko pitanje. Stolac moramo
odrzati hrvatskim, a vjerojatno i Trebinje sutra ako bude ...
Ovo je jednak prioritet kao i ovo tu, kao Petrova gora, kao i Banovina. ' ,
PREDSJEDNIK:
Kada bismo mogli ovo Jajce ...
DR JURE RADié:
To ée tesko s Muslimanima iéi.
PREDSJEDNIK.:
ldealno bi bilo, mi se moramo s Muslimanima isto tako dogovoriti, ali strateski
racunati da nam nema druge nego da na ledjima nosimo Muslimane i da ih kroatiziramo
postupno. To ée biti veoma tesko, oni nam neée biti lagani, bit ée nam utoliko laganiji
problem nego li Srbi danas, zato sto su Srbi imali Beograd i imaju vlast, a ovi neée imati.
ANNEX69
Excerpts from the Record of a meeting between the
President of the Republic of Croatia, Dr. Franjo
Tudman, and the military officiais of the Republic of
Croatia, held on 23 August 1995 at the Presidential
Palace in Zagreb

271
Tran.,latinn 03060567
RECORD
of a conversation between the President of the Republic of Croatia, Dr Franjo
TUDMAN, and militaiy officials of the Republic of Croatia, held in the Presidential
Palace on 23 August 1995
Beginning at 1000 hours.
PRESIDENT :
Gentlemen, the subject of today's meeting is military and administrative
organisation and deployment of military units.
The organisation of armed forces is the basic issue for the establishment and
survival of every state and so it is for ours. From times immemorial the issue of
establishlng a state and setting up its interna! system has existed commensurate with
the problems facing each individual state.
Since the issue of military and administrative organisation for us means the
division into rnilitary districts, as we have termed them so far, and also the
deployment of units, we should naturally start first of all from the geopolitical
position and strategic interests of our state in relation to expected and potential
enemies, both today and in the future. However, we should also concentrate on the
fact that military organisation may be the most effective means of meeting the internai
needs of the state. To be sure, we do not have special needs in terms of
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Translation 03060568
JG
strengthening the existing system as is the case in many states, yet we do also have
rthis, for example in the territory of Istria. However, considering the situation that w~
have had since the liberation of the occupied territories and in view of the
demographic situation, we need precisely for the military organisation to be one of the
most effective ... It may well be, if we find a proper way for one of the most effective
components of state policy to solve our essential problem today, and that is Croatia's
demographic situation. That is why I asked Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of
Development and Reconstruction Dr RADié to corne to this meeting and talk about
the demographic situation in Croatia today . The location of military cornrnands,
districts, brigades and other training institutions and so on may represent a very
effective and efficient resolution of such a situation as we have, that is, where it is
necessary, as it is in Istria, to strengthen Croatian national solidarity. On the other
hand, in order to .. . as soon as possible - today it is not so much a matter of changing
Lthe kind of population as of populating certain places, certain areas. This means if youj
put large cornrnands, training institutions and so on, in certain places, dozens and
hundreds of people will go there who will have to have families and so on, and
immediately the situation, the life, and so on will be different.
Therefore, Deputy Prime Minister Mr RADié will talk about the demographic
situation which we will have to consider later when ·we make decisions about the
military organisation . Please proceed.
Dr Jure RADI é:
Thank you, Mr President. Indeed, I will be as brief as possible - since I think
that all of us know that after the liberation of Croatia the biggest problem in Croatia is
Croatian man. Simply put, for several reasons there are fewer and fewer Croats every
day. One reason is that many people have emigrated or were forced out in the past for
political or economic reasons.
0132-5991-0132-6081/nj 2
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Translation 03()6()56Ç
JG
The second reason is that fewer people have been retuming to Croatia in the last 40
years. Between 1953 and now the number of births in Croatia has been eut in half.
About 100,000, or 98,000 plus, were bom in 1953, while last year 48,000 were bom,
which is a half of that number. This is something that in rime we will definitely feel in
the army, since there will be far fewer people capable of bearing arrns. But, the worst
part of this is a very, very unfavourable distribution of population, that is, of the
population that we do have. This is why we have areas that are almost completely
empty in the Croatian territory, where there are almost no Croats. This, of course, is
the consequence of the Greater Serbian plan to empty territories after a prepared
aggression. If we look at the present map of Croatia taking into account something
that it rnight be premature to assume - that all the people return to their homes, which
would be very, very difficult, probably not all will go back, since many of them have
made a good life for themselves in the places where they were refugees. Today we
have analysed in detail the liberated territory and determined the sequence of
demographic priorities, that is the sequence of the territories that are strategically
important for Croatia according to where there are no Croats, so that we might try in
various ways to populate these areas. In this sequence the critical terri tory is the one
in the narrowest part of Croatia where the planners in Belgrade and elsewhere wanted
Croatia to be bisected. Therefore, from our point of view the priority areas in tem1s of
building up the population includes the former municipalities of Vrginmost , Vojnié
and part of Karlovac municipality. That is the territory of Petrova Gora and around
that mountain. In these three municipalities before the war, here on this map - where
it is marked bright red, this is where only 4,259 Croats lived, while there were 26,298
Serbs. This then is an almost completely empty territory and the number one national ·
priority is to populate this territory with Croats and attempt everything possible to
create a balance. I think: that we have to target small towns there like Vrginmost and
0132-5991-0132-6081/nj 3
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Translation 0306057()
JG
Vojnié, and villages that are a little bigger like Veljun, Krnjak, and so on, and develop
industry in them.
PRESIDENT:
We do not have time for that. You should state the situation and decisions will
then be made.
Dr Jure RADI é:
This is a critical point. The area below this, the Slunj area where Croats should
be returned is on the same crisis level. It is also qui te empty but luckily, there were no
Serbs there or there were very few. Therefore, from our point of view this territory is
on the same level , this red and blue area in the narrowest part of Croatia where
Croatia was completely eut.
The next priority, the third on the scale, depending on whether we should
include into our considerations the territory of Herceg-Bosna, or Bosnia and
Herzegovina ...
. / .
0132-5991-0132-608Jlnj 4
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Translatinn 03()60571
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... the third priority, the third on the scale, depending on whether we should consider
the territories of Herceg-Bosna and Bosnia and Herzegovina . It could be rotated more
or less towards Croatia' s depth.
Therefore, if the liberated territory around Livanjsko Polje, Glamoc, Kupres,
Grahovo, and Drvar is populated with Croats in the future, then the area around Knin
would become of smaller significance.
PRESIDENT:
If it ever becomes.
Dr Jure RA.DI é:
That is why it is up to you whether this will happen or not. If not, then the
third priority is the same all the way from the former municipality of Donji Lapac and
Knin. These are two border municipalities that extend along the Croatian border and
did not have almost anybody. For example, there were 1,660 Croats in Knin, 29 in
Srb, not one in Doljani and 14 in Donji Lapac.
PRESIDENT:
Do you know approximately, how many were there after the Second World
War?
Dr Jure RADié :
After the Second World War Knin was 60% Croat, I have the data but not with
me.
0132-5991-0132-6081/nj 5
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Translation 03()60572
2/2/HLJ
PRESIDENT:
What, 60%?
Dr Jure RADié:
Yes, 60% Croats in the town of Knin itself, only Knin was a lot smaller then.
The whole of this territory of the two municipalities of Donji Lapac and Knin,
this key border area was completely emptied of Croats. I do not know, I think it is an
interesting fact that the ethnically purest municipality in Croatia was Donji Lapac, a
municipality with over 99% Serbs. According to the 1991 census there was not a
single municipality in Croatia with over 98% Croats before the war, not one
anywhere. There is in Herzegovina. There are four municipalities in Herzegovina ...
PRESIDENT:
There are not any in Zagorje either.
Dr Jure RADié :
No, not even in Zagorje. The ethnically purest municipality in Croatia was
Donji Lapac municipality. This means, our priority is certainly the border territory of
Donji Lapac and Knin munièipalities and after that there is a large area that is
relatively empty, the whole of Lika and northem Dalmatinska Zagora, that should be
populated, but in the long term.
The territory around Benkovac and Ravni Kotari that also had a Serbian
majority in many parts is certainly not a priority area at this time because there is a
good econornic basis for it to be populated and population will settle there rather
quickly. Today we
0132-5991-0l 32-6œl/nj 6
277
Translation 03060573
2/3/HLJ
are being put under pressure, I have received hundreds of letters recently from people
who want to move there, but they all want to go to Benkovac, or out of a hundred
such people, 90 want to go to Benkovac. People think things through and figure out
where there is a quick opportunity of development, and so on. Therefore , for the area
marked green right here, I think we do not have to intervene on the state level.
r . 1
I would conclude that the red and blue areas should be populated with as many
Croats possible on an urgent priority basis. At this point, I skipped the striped area to
which Zrinska Gora belongs and the area of Lapac and Knin municipalities, or rather
the hinterland and the terri tory in Herzegovina. The same is true of the second level of
L_Priority and this empty terri tory in Lika, as muchas it is possible. Thank you. J
PRESIDENT:
Let us go to proposais. Now you may give reasons regarding the present
situation and what changes you propose. I have received two proposais from you in
the last several days, and what is your position now.
General Zvonimir CERVENKO:
It is like this, Mr President, we did the first one pretty quickly, but not the way
you asked without ...
PRESIDENT:
I did not ask for it rapidly /as printed/.
General Zvonimir CERVENKO:
Yes, you did, you asked to get it in the course of thé following day, but we
could not do that.
0132-5991-0/ 32-608/lnj 7
278
ZAPISNIK
01325991
R01599(;4 ~
sa razgovora Predsjednika Republike Hrvatske, dr Franje Tudmana sa vojnim duinosnicirna
Republike Hrvatske, odrtanog u Predsjedniëkirn dvorima, 23. kolovoza 1995. godine
Pocetak u 10,00 sati.
PREDSJEDNIK:
Gospodo, tema danasnjeg sastanlca je razmatranje vojno-upravne ustrojbe i
razmjestaja vojnih postrojbi.
Buduéi da je ustrojba oruzane site u svakoj drzavi, a bila je i u nas osnovno
pitanje i uspostave i odd.anja drzave, ali od pamtivijeka u svirn ddavama pa i u nas isto tako
problem izgradnje drzave i u unutamjem poretku s obzirom na probleme pred kojima se
pojedina· drzava nalazi.
Prema tome, kad je rijec o vojno-upravnoj ustrojbi sto znaéi u nas o podjeli
na zboma podruëja kako ih do sada zovemo po irnenima, a i na razmjestaj jedinica, nakon
toga treba polaziti, razumije se, prije svega, od geopolitiékog poloi.aja i od strateskih interesa
drzave s obzirom na predvidljive i moguée protivnike i danas i u buduénosti. Ali, isto tako
treba polaziti od toga da vojna ustrojba moze biti najdjelotvomije sredstvo rjesavanja
unutamjih potreba drtave . Mi doduse nemamo potrebe, posebne potrebe za rjesavanje
49
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50
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01325993
R01S9966 ~
, drugi je sto se evo, zadnjih 40 godina svake godine sve manje ljudi u Hrvatskoj vraéa. 0d
1953. godine do danas broj rodjenih u Hrvatskoj je prepolovljen. 1953. godine je rodjeno
oko 100 tisuéa, 98 tisuéa i nesto, a prosle godine 48 tisuéa, dakle, dvostruko manje. To je
sasvim sigumo nesto sto éemo i u vojsci osjetiti kroz neko vrijeme kad bude puno manje onih
koji su sposobni nositi pusku. AÙ najgora stvar u tome je vrlo, vrlo nepovoljan raspored tog
puéanstva, dakle onog stanovnista i kojeg imamo. Tako da imamo na hrvatskom tlu prostora
koji su gotovo cmje mrlje, u kojima gotovo da nema Hrvata. To je naravno posljedica
velikosrpske smisljene politilce koja je htjela, namjemo htjela pripremajuéi ovu agresiju
isprazniti prostore i kad gledamo danasnju slilcu Hrvatske, racunajuéi ne!to sto je mozcla èak
i preduhitreno raëunati da se svi ljudi vrate u svoje kuée, sto je vrlo, vrlo tesko, vjerojatno
se neée svi vratiti, mnogi su se sna§li u prostorima svojeg progoostva. Analizirali smo vrlo
detaljno podruëje danas oslobodjeno i utvrdili u njemu s demografskog gledista redoslijed
prioriteta demografski, dakle redoslijed podruëja strateskog znaëenja za Hrvatsku po tome
gdje nema Hrvata jednostavno da bismo se usmjerili raznim naëinima napuëivanje tog
prostora. I u tom redosljedu po rangovima kritiëni prostor je onaj prostor koji na najuzem
dijelu zapravo cijepa Hrvatsku i gdje su ti koji su smisljali u Beogradu i drugdje to htjeli
napraviti. Dakle, s naseg gledista prostor prvog prioriteta za napuëavanje su bivse opéine
Vrginmost, Vojnié i dio karlovaèke opéine. Dakle, podruëje Petrove Gore i oko te Gore . Na
tom prostoru prije rata, dakle te tri opéine, to je na ovoj karti - ovo sto je jako crveno
istaknuto, na tom podruëje je zivjelo 4 tisuée 259 Hrvata, samo 4.259 Hrvata, a 26 tisuéa
298 Srba. Dakle, gotovo, gotovo potpuno prazan prostor i nacionalni prioritet broj jedan je
to podruëje napuèiti Hrvatima i napraviti koliko je god moguée da se napravi jedan balans.
Mislim da se moramo orijentirati na to da ove gradiée koji tamo postoje a to su Vrginmost,
280
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01325994
80159~67 ~
Vojnik, neka malo veéa sela kao sto je Veljun, Krnjak itd, da se u njima razvijaju i
gospodarski pogoni.
PREDSJEDNIK:
Nemamo vremena za to, ti iznesi situaciju, pa ée se donijeti odluke.
'•
DR JURE RADié:
. Kriticna tocka je to. Jednakog ranga kriticnosti je prostor ispod toga, slunjski
prostor u koji treba vratiti Hrvate. On je takodjer prilicno prazan ali nasreéu tamo nije bilo
Srba ili ih je bilo jako malo. Dakle, jednakog ranga danas s naseg gledista je taj prostor ovaj
crveno-plavi na tom najut-em dijelu Hrvatske gdje je Hrvatska bila potpuno rasjecena.
Slijedeéi prioritet, treéi po rangu, ovisno o tome da li ukljucujemo u
razmatranje i podrucja Herceg-Bosne, odnosno Bosne i Hercegovine i ....
./.
51
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2/1/HU
01325995
10159968
-=FiV'\
.. . treéi prioritet, treéi po rangu ovisno o tome da li ukljucujemo u razmatranje i podrucja
Herceg-Bosne odnosno Bosne i Hercegovine ili ne. Moze se rotirati vise prema dubini
Hrvatske ili manje.
Dakle, ako oslobodjeni prostor livanjskog dijela, glamockog, kupreskog,
grahovskog i drvarskog bude u bbduénosti Hrvatima naseljen onda manji znacaj dobiva
podrucje kninskog recimo prostora.
PREDSJEDNIK:
Ako kada bude.
DR JURE RADié:
Zato je to na varna odluka da li te biti ili neée. Ako ne, onda je jednalco taj
treéi prioritet potpuno sve od bivse opéinc Donji Lapac i Knin. To su dvije pogranicne
opéine koje se protezu uz hrvatsku granicu i u kojùna takodjer nije bilo gotovo nista. U
Kninu je recimo bilo l.660 Hrvata, u Srbu 29, u Doljanima ni jedan, u Donjem Lapcu 14.
PREDSJEDNIK:
Da li znas koliko je bilo poslije drugog svjetskog rata otprilike?
DR JURE RADié:
U Kninu je bilo 60% Hrvata poslije drugog svjetskog rata, imam podatke ali
nemam ih sada kod sebe.
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PREDSJEDNIK:
Sta, 60%?
DR JURE RADié:
Da, 60% Hrvata u samom gradu Kninu, samo Knin je tada bio mali . . ,
Dakle, ëitavo ovo podruëje dviju opéina Donji Lapac i Knin, to je pograniëno
kljucno podruëje potpuno isprafnjeno Hrvatima. Ne znam, mislim da je zanimljiv podatak,
nacionalno najëi§éa opéina u Hrvatskoj je ~ila opéina Donji Lapac sa 99 i nesto posto Srba.
Nema ni jedna opéina u Hrvatskoj preko 98% Hrvata, prije rata po popisu od 1991. godine,
ni jedna nigdje. lma u Hercegovini. U Hercegovini imaju ëetiri opéine ...
PREDSJEDNIK:
Ni u Zagorju nema.
DR JURE RADié:
Ne, ni u Zagorju. Nacionalno najëiséa opéina u Hrvatskoj je bila opéina Donji
Lapac. Znaëi, prioritet svakako je taj pograniëni prostor opéine Doitji Lapac i opéina Knin
i onda nakon toga se siri jedno veliko podrucje koje je priliëno prazno puëanstvom, éitavo
podrucje Like i sjevemog dijela Dalmatinske Zagore koje je potrebno svakako naseljavati,
ali u jednom dugoroënom prostoru.
Podrucje benkovaékog kraja, odnosno Ravnih kotara koje je takodjer bilo
veéinski srpsko u mnogim svojim dijelovima sigumo nije toliko danas prioritetno jer ono nudi
gospodarske razloge za naseljavanje i tamo ée se vrlo brzo dogoditi naseljavanje. Mi danas
53
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01325991
2/3/HU
imamo pritiske, dobio sam ovih dana na stotine pisama i ielja da se nasele, ali svi zele u
Benkovac, ili od tih stotinu 90 hoée u Benkovac. Ljtii:li prosudjuju i znaju gdje je vrlo brza
moguénost razvitka itd. Dakle, ovo ~to je ovdje zeleno oznaceno, mislim da ne moramo
interventno s razine ddave.
.. Zakljucujem, dalde crveno i plavo podruéje hitno i prvorazredno napuniti
Hrvatima koliko god mozemo, podruèje mfirano, tu spada dakle i Zrinska gora, nju sam
ovaj cas preskocio i podrucje opéina Lapac i Knin, odnosno u zaledju i podruèje u
Hercegovini jednako tako u drugom rangu prioriteta, a ovo podruèje prazno u Lici koliko
bude moguée. Hvala.
PREDSJEDNIK:
ldemo na prijedloge. Sada obrazlozite u odnosu na sada~nje stanje, kakve
promjene predlazete. Ja sam dobio posljednjih dana od vas dva prijedloga i na èemu ste sada.
GENERAL ZBORA ZVONIMIR ëERVENKO:
Ovako, gospodine Predsjednice, mi smo vam onu prvu dali onako na brzaka,
ne kao ~to ste trazili bez ...
PREDSJEDNIK:
Nisam ja trazio na brzaka.
GENERAL ZBORA ZVONIMIR CERVENKO:
Jeste, trazili ste tijekom slijedeéeg dana, ali to mi nismo mogli uëiniti.

ANNEX70
BBC, the Speech of President Tudman in Knin on 26
August 1995, according to Croatian Radio Zagreb

287
Source:
President's Speeches On Train Journey From Zagreb To Split Via Knin; Tudjman
says Serbs fled Knin thanks to the Croatian Army, BBC Summary ofWorld
Broadcasts, August 28, 1995, Montlay, Part 2 Central Europe, the Balkins; Former
Yugoslavia; Croatia; EE/02393/C, 1431 words, Source: Croatian Radio, Zagreb, in
Serbo-Croat 1340 gmt 26 Aug 95
Thefollowing is a live relay ofTudjman's statement in Knin broadcast by
Croatian radio:
Croatian women and men, dear Croatian youth, Croatian soldiers, dear citizens
of Knin, you who have survived here and who have retumed and all your guests
who have gathered here on this day - and we can accept what Croatian Army
Knin commander Gen Ivan Cermak said: that we can call this the day when the
Croatian historical cross has been completed.
Usually participants of historical events are not aware of the importance of the
events which they take part in. What we have done today by bringing this Train
of Freedom from Zagreb, the capital of all Croats, to Knin, the royal Croatian
city, on the way to Split in the Croatian Dalmatia, the cradle of the Croatian
statehood, this is not just the opening of a railway, this is not just the liberation
of the occupied areas, but this is the laying of the foundations for an independent
and sovereign Croatian state [Tudjman's voice becomes hoarse and he starts to
bellow] from now on for the future centuries. [ applause]
As long as they the Serbs were in Knin, as long as Knin was under occupation ,
the future of the Croatian state was not assured. Since Operation Storm, since
today, it is. No one will ever be able to threaten it.
Knin was not just the capital of Croatian king Zvonimir , Knin was the capital of
the kingdom of Croatia at the time when we did not have our own rulers from
our own blood until 1522, when it was captured by the Turks and when those
who were in our Croatian Knin until yesterday came together with them. And
from today, this is Croatian Knin.
And [ applause] there can be no return to the past, to the times when they the
Serbs were spreading cancer in the heart of Croatia, cancer which was
destroying the Croatian national being and which did not allow the Croatian
people to be the master in its own bouse and did not allow Croatia to lead an
independent and sovereign life under this wide , blue sky and within the world
community of sovereign nations.
It is up to Croatian historians to explain today in this free and sovereign Croatia
how it came about that Knin became a den of Chetnik anti-Croati anism. Knin,
288
which - as I have said - was the capital of Croatia until 1522, Knin in which,
until - despite the fact that the remaining population was given some sort of
concessions from Turkish, Austrian and Hungarian times, and they multiplied.
[ sentence as heard] But nevertheless until the end of the World War I, the Croats
formed the majority in Knin. At the time of the unification of Croatia with
Serbia into the former Yugoslav community in 1918 , according to the 1910
census, there were 68 percent of Croats and 32 percent Orthodox Serbs in
Knin. In 1991, there were just 14 per cent of Croats here in the heart of Croatia
and 86 per cent Serbs. [ applause]
lt should be researched and explained to the Croatian people and the world why
Knin became a Chetnik den and why they left not just Knin but also took
everything with them connected with the idea of a Greater Serbia, the idea of
joining Croatian areas to a Greater Serbian Yugoslavia or to a Greater Serbia
itself. [ sentence as heard]
Maybe the younger generation does not know that in 1941, when the former
Yugoslavia the kingdom ofYugoslavia disintegrated, a Knin outlaw name
indistinct and priest Momcilo Djuric, compiled a list on behalf of 100 Serb
intellectuals and on behalf of 100,000 Serbs and demanded, offered themselves
to fascist ltaly, so that fascist ltaly should join this Knin Krajina and Dalmatia to
ltaly. [sentence as heard]
Y ou are also not aware of the fact that when Croatian communists, and even
those Serbs who were in the communist movement, started an anti-fascist
struggle, that here in (?Odric) on 11 th August 1941 those citizens of Knin whom
I have mentioned, signed an agreement with ltalians against the Independent
State of Croatia pro-Nazi state and with fascist ltaly to fight the Croatdom.
What has happened historically to make Knin become such an anti-Croatian
place ofhorror, which prompted them to start a struggle against an independent
and democratic Croatia in 1990, but which also brought about their ignominious
disappearance from Knin and the region as though they had never lived here!
[tumultuous applause]
In order to achieve this, dear Croatian brothers and sisters, we had to unite the
disunited Croathood. We had to muster all Croatian wit and reject all Croatian
stupidity. We had to create our own Croatian Army, our own armed force, with
which we were capable of defeating the Serbs and convince and prove to the
world that we are capable ofpr eserving and ruling our country. [ sound of crowd
cheering and shouting "Franjo" for 24 second]
Here in Knin they Serbs were creating their own Scrb statc in ordcr to unify it
with those Bosnian Serbs and Serbia proper and their Yugosl avia. Here in Knin
289
they were saying that they had three Serb pine threes. Here in Knin they were
preparing for a long-term war. They were printing their own money and then,
owing to the strength of the Croatian Army, the wisdom of our decisions and our
leadership, they disappeared in two to three days [ applause for 12 seconds] .
They didn't even have the time to take with them their filthy foreign currency or
their knickers applause .
I have already said today that we paid a very high price, one billion Kunas
Croatian currency , for Operation Storm, and before that for the Croatian
summer of 95 in the Bosnian hinterland Grahovo and Glamoc in southwest
Bosnia were captured by Croatian forces earlier this summer . I have also said
that we seized their weapons and military equipment and all the other things we
took from factories which are twice as valuable as this.
We should also say this: the liberation of Knin and central Croatian parts, from
here to Sisak, they the Serbs were just 28 km away from Zagreb [ applause,
sentence as received]. We had to pay for it in blood. In this operation some 200
Croatian people lost their lives and over 1,000 Croatian soldiers and civilians
were wounded. The Serbs did notjust run away. They tried to put up a
resistance and they suffered more than three times as many losses.
This also means that we will know how to value what we conquered at the price
of Croatian blood and we shall never allow anyone to jeopard ize our freedom,
our democracy, our beautiful Croatian land in which there must be room not
only for all Croatian people here, but also for all those expelled Croats whom I
invited to return when I was speaking in Gospic.
It goes without saying that from fe1iile areas to all these parts we liberated there
will be room for all our people, and our nation will celebrate its freedom and
build its Croatia for which, since King Zvonimir 11 th century , too many
Croatian people <lied and too many of our sons suffered in the dungeons of
Venice , Vienna, Budapest and Belgrade.
We knew what lessons to draw from our history in order to get to where we are
now - freedom - which is truly the end of the Croatian crusade, as what remains
to be done - Vukovar, the Croatian symbol applause, eastem Slavonia and
Baranja- [continuing applause] are in the east of the Croatian country. The
Croatian country is now stronger, not only stronger, but also fully consolidated
following the liberation of Knin and central parts of Croatia. God willing, we
shall liberate the remaining terri tory by peaceful means and without loss of life,
with help from the international community. If this proves impossible, we shall
use our force. [ applause]
290
Dear Croatian brothers and sisters, I invite you to staii on the revival ofKnin , so
we can populate it, and not just Knin, but also Benkovac, Obrovac and ail the
area up to the Plitvice lakes and Sisak. We must revive and build the whole of
Croatia, so it can become a country of which every Croat can be proud, and all
Croats can be from today, and a country of wealth and happiness of all Croatian
people.
Everlasting glory to all the Croatian heroes and knights who gave their lives so
that the Croatian flag can be hoisted on Zvonimir's fortress in Knin, so that
Croatian future can be secured. Etemal life to our one and only Croatia.
[applause]
LOAD-DATE: August 30, 1995
Copyright 1995 British Broadcasting Corporation * Reprinted for Fair Use Only
ANNEX71
Jutarnji list, Zagreb, 4 May 1998, "War turned me into
a killing machine"

293
Jutarnji list, page 8
Interviewed by: Sonja Mudric
Alen Anie
Bullet in the head
W AR TURNED ME INTO A
KILLING MACHINE
Serbs were deliberately left two exits: Dvor-upon-Una, to the north, and Srb, to the south,
because it was next to impossible for them ail to leave by the two routes. The plan was to
clean everything up as soon as possible. Sorne will get out and we'll mess up the others. I
guess Serbs knew about Storm because we came across empty villages and towns and were
met with occasional resistance. W e covered 20 kilometers every day and we did our job in the
process, we killed. There were no civilians for us; they were simply al! enemies. Serbs took
off their uniforms and put on civilian clothes, but they couldn't fool us. After ail, everyone
was Army in the Krajina except for children and elderly people. When we came across men in
civilian clothes, everyone cried: "Don't kil! me, it's not my fouit!" "Well, if it's not, we'll put
a bullet through his head" and moved on.
We whacked them by scores; we killed whatever we came across. If you don't kill him, he'll
kil! you. Hatred was like a chip in our brains ............... .
Flesh road
"Once I almost ended up court marshalled because I had mowed down all prisoners of
war. But I spared life to one Serb because I wanted him to be my slave in Zagreb . My
commander forbade me that, as we were no slave owners. 'Not yet', I said and took out my
revolver and put a bullet through the prisoner's head. 'There you are, you can now bury him
yourself1' The commander wanted me to bury him, but I said that I came to fight a war and
not to bury Chetniks. I set the corpse alight by oil.
It was an unwritten order that there were no prisoners of war to be taken but, for the sake of
saving our face before the world public opinion, a very small number of prisoners of war were
nonetheless left alive. One in twenty were left to be interviewed with newsmen and taken
pictures of, to show how merciful and good we were. The aim was to liberate the Krajina at
al! costs. At first, we fought at the section Licki Osik - Siroka Kula and then we went to
Niksic, Ljubovo, Udbina to go onto Bunici, Vuletovo Brdo and Konjska Glava where our
soldiers were killed in large numbers. When you see your fellow soldiers get killed, you
become a better master of your trade, you hate even more, get angrier and more cruel. The
enemy put up strongest resistance near Licki Osik towards Ljubovo and Udbina. We called
the Udbina road 'the road of the corpses' because hundreds of corpses were scattered across
it. We were those who killed people and after us, there came the forces which held positions
and made sure that the corpses were removed. They loaded them onto refrigerator trucks.
There were also the trucks used by Jakopec meat industry, as well as refrigerator trucks of
some other meat companies. On our way back we saw refrigerator trucks full of corpses put
into bags.
294
Stench of bodies
On the road to Lapac, we ran into the Serb-manned roadblock. There were six or seven
soldiers. Two of our commanders began to quarrel. One of them wanted to kill all of the
soldiers there and the other was against it. At this point, the "peacekeeper" had it enough and
said: "Ok, gun them down!" When we stonned into Lapac, some people managed to flee
while many of them were killed. We found their still warm soups on the table. We received
orders to clean everything up and leave no prisoners of war. We entered the city and saw
people fleeing in panic before us. We intersected the road between Donji Lapac and Srb, their
only way out. We killed very many people then. There were bodies lying all over the place
and terrible stench could be smelt even the following day.
We burned Donji Lapac down
When we did the whole job and liberated Donji Lapac, the order came to bum it down. We
wondered why liberate a place for our people and then hum it down. But, there was no
explanation. They only said: "You only get the job done" . And so we did. We were with the
MUP special force and the Rijeka security forces only came when the job was already
finished . The brunt of the attack was staged by MUP special units and us. At that time, there
were no contacts with Zagreb, but the orders to kill came from the Main Staff.
The Commander was sent by the main staff which ordered us to hum Donji Lapac down . My
Commander was against it, but he could do nothing aboutit. We were only told to leave one
or two houses in tact. The house owned by Milan Djukic was blown up first. We did it with
gusto. We did not lute. That was what Domobran units did: they stole all the grain. I brought
to Zagreb only large amounts of Serb money. I could have gotten about DM 200,000 had I
been smart enough to go to Hungary to change it.
295
Jutarnjl UST str. l
lazgovarall llnl• Mllrft Alon lnll
· Pobjegao aam Jz JNA. u
[eto 1991. godioo, zadnlim lakom Beograd • Zagreb 1
,dmah se prt)alil? u Zbor iarodne garde na Sljeme·
tu. KonduktM'l Vlnkovœnl
~~g~eO:ct':1.:1:j~
m pollclJP. odvra.tio sam ttt-
1sklm narJeeJem. Jmao am ta.da nepWl.u 21 god.J- ,u.
Oti§ao sam u ZNG zato Sto &m rutkakav patriot i iato
to sam se !elio borit1 za Hr-
-atsku. A bio sam i siguran
la. me tu KOS neée uhvatfti.
~os Je dosta deékl potama-
ùo, red.mo onog koJJJe u Osieku
tenkom prega:zio crve- 1og fiéu.
Na Sijemenu su na.s prt- oali Medugorac, Lucié I Anlaba.k.
Tamo su momke kra- ko obuCavali J odmah sibali ta boJi!ta. Uskoro su me po- 1lali na prvo ve:treno krStenje
1a Baniju, a nakon togaje blo
u planu Topusko. Na BWl
su deraU po nama. bilo Je ezivo l mll:ilili smo samo da 1am je prezivjeti. Nitko od ~a.slh ni.)6 stta.dao. Vra.tlli :mo se u Zagreb na n~lolilto la.na, da bismo zatim otBli u ilavonlju, bllzu Vinkovaca,
>a prema Vulrovaru, gdje mo se bor11J z,Jedno • HOS- )Vçima. Tamo se JOS vise kre- 1&10, jer s:no se lui.li s doma-
:iru Srbirua. Onl su bila opa.- ini. Borbe su se vodile kod
ofirkovaca, Martnaca, N!Jenaca,
Svinjarevca, Bogdano-
,aca. i Erduta.
11!1 u uei s nrrtvacem
Zapovjednici su nam diza-
1 moral stalno pooavljejull la branimo Hrtatslr:u t hrvat- ;Jd narod. hrvatsku djecu 1 1Uèno, le da mJ vod.lmo >brambenl, pravedrû rat.
te;~~1=· 7~:o~~: erenu é\\j~ Jodnu od takvlh
>jesaroa, prora.dl ti bv, na- >rijeS se i automatski prosta- ;Ls. A kad se ufurd u tu bri- acinu, u taj mm, rrilko te vi~e
ne mo!e mustaviti. Dok ne vidil da netko padne kreJ te- be. E, onda t1 se stisne ielu -
dac. ooda osjetis pravl stnl.h. Kad si licem u lice 5 mrtvacem
otvorenih ociju, jasno ti
Je da si dolje na zemlji mogao biti ti.
Pr\-1 put kad je suborac
pao kraj meoe, samo sam se ska.menio. Tu minuta W dvlJe, doli: se nisam prlhrao, meni su traJale kao cljeli tivot Na- kon takvog lskustva pCM2~eS se u sebe. Ali zapmjedn.!ci to maju J odmah kreée psiholosk.o
djelovanje, novo ohra- brtva.nie, pjesma., a onda po- lu~ jOS vi'ie. ViS8 ne ra-
1.~ij~. nego pollnJe! ma- zatt, ito sUgno! 1 kalco god
znaS. A tada je bio rat bez ogra.Irièeoja. lslo se do k.raja.
Clazbua moja ull Onda smo otisll na odmor u Ugreb. Nakon toga: pola
ijudi z.a juino bojiste. a pola ,.a 6lavonsko. Trdill su dobrovoijce
za akciju, eJi nisu rekll koju t gdje. Javio sa.ru se, a l da nis&m, morao bih iéi. jer za. mnoge akclje dra- govoljaca. nije bllo. Nek:I ndl
~udi lmali su masklrne unl·
forme, a drugi Q(iore JNA, samo s na!lm trakama.
lzgledali smo lcàc gerilci. U rujnu smo stigli u Zadar,
usred opée opasuost. Stavili
su nas u zalet1o, 6 onlm ha. Da.li su im krlvu informa- pUSkk.ama koje smo imali. c\)u. Rekll su da neprijateij-. Gradani su nas poprfjeko gle- hna toliko i toliko, 1 da to dali, jer se IItislllo da JNA ne odrade. Meduttm, s one strabi
tukla grad da mi nismo ta- ne Je bilo deset puta vise œ- mo. Nakon Zadra - Novska. tnika. Osoba lcoja je za to dje- Stari Grabovac, D1:]hrovnik... lomiéno odgovorna, sad& sje· V'J.Se i ne znam, presiao sam di u uredu MORH-a. Tamo se brojati. Pucanje I makljaia je.ko medusobno Maju , jer
postali su glazbs. za moje u.~i. kako reti mamama 1 fenaNeki
od nas su poslan1 u ma koje su ostale bez stnava
Hospitaliziran sam na posebnom
odjelu u Dubravi. Objasnili su mi da
je moja bolest kronifna. Dakle ja
sam, gotovo, ubojica. Mogu
izgledati kao staloïena osoba,
lijepo razgovarati, ponalati se
uljudno i kulturno, aliu sekundi
se mogu pretvoriti u krvnika . Jasku kao zapovjedDlci ili ln· struklorl obuke, jer smo pok&Z.ali
patriotizam, hrabrost.. snagu i vje~tlnu. Zatim na Kupu da tamo pomognemo na.sima. Maja grupa nije bil•
na prv~ nego na drugoj lini·
Ji. Rekli su da je to onako, za Rvaki slufaj. No, t&dn Je na Kupi poginulo nckolllro stotl- na momab. lz Novog Zagrel
mUZeva da je net.ko krivo
procijenio. Nikako.
U sijeCJlju sam prebaèen u
Sibenik. a u velJaèi na slsa- Cko bojiste i tam.o sam prvl
put ranj~n. Dobro je bilo na
lièkom bojistti, pa onda u Pe- Jcrncu iPakra~koj poljani. Tamo
su vetblliMel'œpovl bor- cl, zvali su fu "wd smrtt·. To
su bill dobri bore!. Nakon toga
sam se borto u zapadnoj Slavoniji, u okolici Nov- ske.Ta.mo je hilo haraèB.. a to
:maèi: udri ·Cede· kako stignes.

Ubljanje postane Mina l tako mi se sve to podvu• klo pod kotu da vi§e ntsam
ruogao zamislitl de.n bez te- ren&. bez mirise baruta, bez
onlh u!asnlh zvukova. Ne bo- Jg se ViSe smrti, oe boJis se met!lka, ru graoata. Prv:i put sam ubio èovjeka gledajut'.i ga u oci u Slavoniji 1992., ne- gdje oko Vinkovaca. Kad ga
okin~. JoJ koje olakhDJe! Najre.dJJe blh bio napra-vio fsstu. Zn~ da Je Jodno govno ma.uje, jedan ga.d martje, lr:oji
mote naSkoditi brvatskoj dje- ci i ienama. A mi muW voll· mo Zene. Zato su nam uvijek govorlli: odradite Sto tmate, pa k brvat,;ldm ijepotlr.D.ma. Kad to ka.tu, èovjef.e, viAe ne
mislit samo roka!. Jak si,
najjaëi na svijetu. Hoée~ da se taj rat Sto prije zaVJ'Sf, da se potam ane svl ti gad ovi. da
konaèno oslobodiS Hrvatsku.
Hvalio sam se subÔrcima kad sam skinuo prvog tetni- ka da éu odsw.l 1,la.vijaû reckice
na kundak svaki put ka.d nekoga smeknem. All,
na.kan nekog wemcna uhija-
. b}e post&ne rutina. pa ti i dosadJ.
U to doba srno ~li malo
1 preko Sa"' · Kad bi netko n&sih poginuo u B06ni, slutbeno
se objavilo da je stra- dao u Slavonskom füodu. To
su hile fmte, IÙje se smjelo znatl da Hrvatska vojska ide
u Bosnu. Nakon toga srun do-~
spio u JedJnicu Vojne polidj
za posebne namJene. Kt1 smo .i.Sü na teren, nfam
smjeli imaU bijele opaseCe.
druge oznake. NosiU sm1
zna6ce kao i MUP, samo je ni ojima pisalo Vojna polic.ij Neki su deëki to koristili privatne svrhe. Predstavlja bl se kao MUP i vr§ill raclj
pljenidbe I slièno. 1
ga mniem. u,J
lm~ , nnda doc jOS opaliS r&fal bude.S sfguran. hrte icr venetr imalibijele. Zr16 desno i iza i.1.1 ru
- samo reZi 1 rn
dnlkje trazio dE di sa Sto man munjevfto. Pita.c netko? Nitko Sl
· Dilo nas Je oko 0
Pul,aœlu
Srbima su n&1 vljena dva fzlar.u Dvor na UuJ, s 1
Jer je bile gotov, da onf svi tuda zl bio da se sve Sto
Nekl ée iziéJ, a ,
pokrkatt. Vjeruje bi ~ .ali za OJuju, il4zili na ispraütj a te.k tu l tamo otpor. l>oe\lI]o srr
valJ P0 20 kllomc t.em smo radlli sv<
~ nili. Za nas h lj 1
SVl su bill jednost. Jatcljl. Srbi su ski me I oblaèüJ civil
ali nisu nas mogl
296
PBnll!jeljaU. 5. 1991. Juta.ntji Ll$T str.9
DOGAllAJI DANA
de moj rob u Zagrebu. Zapo- Nakon udara oko Udbffie i
vjednik IIÙ je zabrarùo, Jer Lapca. ~u smo malo do Bo- Pr,·1 put sam ub"10 Xov1"eka gleda,iué"1 nismo u robovlasni.stvu. Jok sanskog Petrovca i Kulen Va- I,; 1
nismo, kaiem, izvadùn pis- kufa. u Bosanskom Petrovcu x· SI """ 1992 d"
toij I pras u glavu. Eto ti ga, bill smo pola sala pr:ije nego ga Il 01.I U 3VORIJI .• neg Je sari ga ti pokopaj! Zapovje- sto je Martié otisao. Na.si su oko v·111kovaca. Kad ga .ok"1nex, 1·01· dnik Je htio da ga ja zako-- nas éini se namjerno zadrla- ;:),
pam. a ja sam odgovor:io da vali. jer srno ga mogli ma - k • 1 kX · 1 N · d"" b"h b" ,am dosao ratova ti, a no ko- znuti bez problerna. au nam OJe O 3 ~anJe. 3Jf3 IJe 1 . 10 :tin~=~ · Zapa.lio sam taj i: bilo reécno d~ ëekarno. 03pf3VÎ0 feStU , r:; Nepisana zapovijedje bil~ ijmrad le!eva . 1 ------------------ da nema zarobljenilca, all Na cesti prerna Lapcu bill specijalna policija MUP- Zagreb , pr eko Gospléa. U Gozbog
svijeta je jedan jako nai!li smo no. Srpsku batik.a- a, za.tim Painni, te priCuvne spitu su me prvo prcgledaU
ma.li broJ zarobljen lka ipak du. Bilo je Scsl, seda m vojni- postrojbc Rijcéana koje su na psihijetrlji s uputnicom
œtao fiv . Svakog dvadesetog ka. Tada se zaCCla svad:a do~lc veé na gotovo. Glavni ratn og lijcènika, a doprailli
smo ostavili za novine, da se izmedu dvojice nasih zapo- udar smo imali mi i specijal- su me zapovjedo.ik l Jedan
slikeju i da pokaiemo kako vjednika. Jedan je htio da se ci MUP-a. U to vrijeme uije moj takoder obuijeU suborac.
smo mi dobri . CilJ je bio oslo- sve pokoka, a drugi je bio bila nikakva kontakta sa Za- Odmah su mi postavlli dijaboùiti
Krajinu pod svaku cijej protiv. Onda je ·mir ovnjaku" grebom, ali je zapovijed za gnozu: posttraumats k:i strel,.nu.
U pocetku smo bill na po- dojadilo I rekao Je: "Ajde, pokolj stigl• iz Glovnng stnie - snl poremeéaj . Nakon pretezu
Uél<i Oslk, Siroka Kula, slsaj!' K•d smo uletjell u La- ra. gleda u_ Gospir.u, s tim sam
zatim Nik!ié, 1,jubovo, Udbi- pac, neki su uspJeli zbrtsaU, ZapovJednilc koJI je poslan pr:ijate!Jcm sJeo u nJegov aun•,
zatim Bwuel, Vuletovo aU puno lh je oti~ Bogu na iz Giavnog sto!or a naredlo je to i do!U srno kul.i u Z.grob .
Brdo I Koajska Glava, gdJc su rafun. Nalazill smo \ople ju- da spallmo Donji !.apac. Moj On je i sada u bolnici. l'relvona!
padall kao pokosenl. Kad he na stulu. Naredenje je bilo zapovjedrùk je bio protv pa- rio se u blljku. Ne znam z11Sto
vidiS da tvoji dffi:ld padaju, da ocistimo sve. bez zaroblje- ljenja, ali nije uspio. Sam o su nas pustili alco su znaU da
posta nes JoS veéi majstor nik.a.. USli smo u grad i vidje - nam je reCeno da ostavimo smo Judi. Samo su nam rekli
svoga zanata, jos vise mrzil, li ljude kako paniëno bjeie jednu ill dvije kuée . Kuéa Mi- da rugdje ne stajemo. Mora.li
ga maiem. Lovis ga i zve- Uostalom, u Kraj.bu su svi hl- jlMl; si bj~nji. ufasan. pred nama.. Presjekli smo im le.na Duldta. je prva otisla u smo obeéaU da idemo u bolkne!.
onda dodes do njega J U vojsk&. osim djece i star a- Najveéi o(J)or bioje kod U- cestu izmedu Doajeg Lapca i zrak , to smo s ~ tom napra- nlcu. Mofda su se nadall, da
joS opafil ratai po njemu, da ca.. Kad smo nai.fü na èkog OSika prema l.Jubovu i Srbe., njihov jedim puL Ubili vili. Pljaëkali ni'imo, to su ra- éemo, onako ludi, negdje,
bude:5 sigura.n. Mi smo imali rnUSkarca u civilu, svaki je Udbini. Cestu za. Udbinu smo smo tada ja.ko puno ljudi. Bi- dile domobransk e postrojbe, strarlati.
iute i avene trakice, Srbi su cmùdrio , ·Nemoj mene, ni- protvaU ·mesna cesta •, na r-~ je le~eva. na sve stra.ne. svej one su pokrale sve zivo. Ja
lm•li bijele. Zna.li smo, lijevo, sam Ja!' E pa, dobro kad ru- njoj je lezalo stotine leseva. ~ voé drugl rl11n smrd ilo. _J sam u Zagreb donio sam o U selwndi pastajem krmik desno I iza su nasi . a naprijed al! r pu!, u éelo! ldemo dalje. Mi smo ubijali, a lza nas su • 0 golemu koli~inu srpskog Na pslhiJalrlJskoj kllnlci
. samo rcfl . 1 rnaf.i. Zapovj•· Tako smo 1h pokokali na Isle postrojbe koJc su zadrza. Spal1Dsma Danp Lapac novca. Za to sam mogao do- pol\Tdena Je gospi&a diJ•·
dnlkjetra.ziodascsveodra - stotina.svena!tosmona.gu . vnle poloiaJ i zbrinjavale Kad smo sve odradili i biti·oko 200fuiuéanjemat.kil1 gnoza. Ob&vili smo sve predi
sa SLo manJe gubitaka, Ako ü nti~ J\iega., on ée te- le§eve. Trp&li su 1h u hla.dnja- oslobodili Dunj[ Lapac, doblli maraka da 6am bio pametan trag e. snimanje glave, CT
munjevito. Pitao Je boji li se be. Mriaja je bila kao éip u l ëe. Bill su tamo i kamiorù smo zapovijed da ga spallmo. 1 otlsao u Madarsku, gdje se I mozga. Bio je puno simulanetko?
Nitko se nJje bojao. l ;aSi.ru gla.vama. Kad nek.a.J mesa.ra Jakopeca, kao i h.la· Cudili smo se èemu spaliti 1 to moglo mijcnjati. J nata, pa su pregledi bill rigoBilo
nas je oko osamdeseL .,.aldca nosi bomhu i psuje dnjaèe nekih druglh mesnih mjesto &1co ga osloba.damo za "- rozni Hospitaliziran sam na
nam majlru usta!ku, ondaje industrija.Kadsmosevraéa- nase ljude. Ali, objasujenje Dalisunamdrogu posebnom odjelu u Duhravi.
Puf, U &la -normalno • ubijes. Djece ni- U, vidjeli smo hladnja ée pune nije stiglo. Rekli su: "lzvolite Na ratl!tu smo dob!vali Objasnlll su ml do Je moja boSrblma
su DATI\ÏOrno osta- Je bllo, njlh su povukll vrlo leseva zamotanlh u vreée. izvr!IU. • 1 jcsmo . S narna su am!c!amlne koji pojafavaju lest kronlëna . Dakl• Ja sam,
vljtlna dva izlaza, na sjeveru brzo. jer su znali da Krajlnu ••-•••-••---•-•••-• tlrabrost i sna gu. pa nemiiS gotovo. ubojica. To ntl jtl re- Dvor na Uni, a na jugu Srb. ue mogu obraniti, r da nisu Od d . d I polrebu za snom i puno si kao ravnatelj bolnice Vrapèe, rler je bilo gotovo neizvedivo djecu sklonlli, ne b!smo 1h dl- ne 3V00 S3ffl S Je nOffl 800ffl. izdri.ljiviji. Napravili su od Vladimir Jul'.lé, kod kojeg
da orù svi tuda zbir~u. Planjê'i rail. Zatsta nlsmo bill tolika p • • 1 • nas strojeve koji niSta ljudsko sam bio na vjestaèenju. ~fo.
bio da se sve §to prtJe oèistL I gamad . Ali, bolje Je d& djece rema IIJOJ sam se ma O otvono. ne osjeéaju. BUo je samo va- gu izgledati kao staloi.ena
Nek.l 6e lziél, a druge éemo nlje bllo,jer kad potama.nimo I f ·x 1· • ino eliminirati, svejedno na osoba. lijepo razgovarati, po· pokrkati. VJOrujem da su Sr- rodlteije, §to éemo s ldlnci- ffla l3 mene ma O Vl;,8 Strp JenJa koji naéln . Ponekad smo mo- n~aU se uljudno l kulturno ,
bi znall za Oluju, jer smo na· ma? Morall blsmo nokoga 1
• 1
• d" p •• . rail kortsntt noz. Kad wvjeka ail u sckundJ se mogu pretvoil•zlli
na lsprü.t\i•n• miesta. ost&v!U da th fova ,Jerblmo - nego osta I JU 1. nie sam 1mao ubodesnoiern. pa osjotisnj e- r:iU u lrrvnllr.a.
a tek tu I tamo nekl manji gll umrijeU od gladi ill neée- pUnO pr",,iatelJ"a, Sadanenlaffl 0•
1 govu krv na ru ci, irnas osje- ., otpor. Dnemo smo napredo- ga. J eaj kao d• si zaklao odoJka. LIYUt sa stotiljalt lama
vali po 20 kilometara! a pu· • d li • 1 X Ja sam samo dvojicu uhlo no- Na bolovMju sam bio sve t,m smo radili svoJ pcsao, ta- Mesna cesta Je noga. 0 Je norma no, stra:>nO ie m. To Je bila l!lasiëna eU- prosle godine, a onda su m1
man111. Za nas n(je bUo civila: Ja sam jednom skoro •• • • I" d• mlnaclja, br.t masnkriranja . ns.pifiBli da moram u mirovisvi
su bill jednos lavno neprl- zavr~lo n& vojnom sudu, Jcr sam se promJJemo 1. JUI su se Mogll smo upotrijobitt i fieu. nu I puslali me na inva.lJdsku
ja!oljl. Srbi su slùdall unlfur- sarn potamanlo '"" zarobije- poXel"I boj"at"I flOj"l"II reakC.IJ"a Najboija je fica gttare I dva komisiJu. Jo! lekam pravu me I oblaéill cMlna odljel&, nike. Jednoge sam Srbina li prstena od osigur at a bombe. mirovinu I ilvim na akontaci· ali nisu nas mogli prevar iti. po~tedio, j er sain htio da bu- ___________________ Iz Lapca sam se vra.tin u Ji ori nekoHko stotina k'una.
297
Jutart\jl LIST str, 18
Prije rrisem iello lë u b!Hnltu, 1 Nda zn•m da ml fe to ledkta ianQ
NP.davno su narn povisili taj tama. Marna me nai;la kako
pausai ,a pet posto. lcltrn u hodnlku boz svij&Stl. Svc ovo \IWD prièam jer Pistolj je sa.krila u orma.r i ovo jednom mora iziéJ van. nazvala H1tnu.
Mislio sam da sam jedini • Onda su me btjell prebacl- talcvim problemima, dok nf- ti u VraJ)Ce. Rekao sam da me
sam upoznao ljude poput ne voze jer éu nekoga tamo mene. Prije nis&m i.elio iéi u ubiti. Odvell su me kod mog
bolnicu, a sada. znam da mi lijeënika., kojemu je bOo draje
to jedina Sansa. Ali, na.s ni· go tto sam iiv. Rekao mije da
jcdna boln.ica viSe ne icli trebam zivjeti, jer ipak imam
Kaiu da smo hodajuée bom- zenu I dijete. ma, bla ... A kad
br. koje sva.ki tas mogu na- bi~a supruga dopusti da se
praviti darmar. Dolnice su nadern sa svojim djetetom,
dobile zapovijed da ljude po- mogn izdrazi mak.<imum pola put mene ne prtmaju. Ostavt- sata. Nalcon toga, vlsstito dili
su nas ulicl i naAoj bo]cstl. jete nsop)slvo Zivcira!
Tek smo sada svJe.'ill1 da srno
privremeno upotrijehljenl kao ratru strojevi za prljave
stvarl. Onda smo to zeijeli bi- U, ali drugi Uudi moraju zna- ti da stno rrù ubijali i u njilio-- voime .
Palwlaj samoubojstn Ako za 100 tisuta. rna.reke.
treba. nekoga elimlrati., tu
sam, nema problema. Daj mJ
oruije, low i stvar je ri·
Jesena. Jedan Albanac ml je
nedavno ponudio milijm1 njemackih
maraka da se idem
boriU na Kosovo. lpak sam
ostao dotua., jer nisam sigu- ran da blh se ikad vratio ilv.
Dolaz.i ntl da se ubijem. a.li u
interva.Uroa ipak ielim fivJe·
U. Samoubojstw mi pada na pamel kad sam potisten. kad se prisjeéfun mrtvih prljatelja,
nogometa l sr-etnih dans.
l..ani sam se pokUSao ubitl.
PopJo sam tera.piju z& mjesec dana i litru rakije, stavlo pi•-
tolj na stol i èekao da
wnrem. Htio sam sebi pucaU
u usta, ako ne uspije s tableY-dellllUlllo~ja

O!enio san1 se za vrijeme
rata i dobili smo curîcu.
Izmedu dvije akclje sam se rastAO. Nisam ieUo biti obileljski
covJek. tako ka.ze moja bivSA supruga. ~elio sam
borbu. rat, pustolovine. Me--
du nama vise nema emocija,
jer ja nik.akvih emocija viSe
nemam. Sada s bivSom suprugom
Imam velildh proble- ma, jer nemam novca 1.e. redovito
plaéanje aµmentacije,
pa mi ne d• vidJeti dijete. Kad sam se vratio lz bolnice,
iivio sam kod majke, sad vise ne, jer ni nju ne podnosim.
Bez oca sarn ostao u ranom djEtinjstvu.
Prije rata sam volio sve.
posebno flvotinje. Volio sam
rnajku, djeVojku, prijatelje, sve ijude. I~ao sam na. tulu- me, utakmice, u k:rulée, dru-
üo se kao I ostall ljudi. Stalno sam se srnijao. A uedavno
sam ucijenio majku da se rljesl
psa hiaœ éu ga ublü. Psa kojeg 6&J1 ja. douio, othrani.o
j odgojio. Nemam vi9e osjc-
éaja ni prerna komc. Veéina
uas se sllèno osjeéa, uc :z.na- mo kamo je nestao nas ~ivot.
Masavna samoubajstn
Moji se suborci sta.lno ubijaju,
ali javnost to ne Zell
znati. Jedni se ubijaju, a drugi
ubijaju po nartldZbi. VI no·
vinari o tome ne pi.Sete. Ako
se nesto ne ù'èini. na poholjSaJ\lu
na§ih !!vota, ne prostaje
nam ni.sta drugo nego da iskoristimo svoj ratni zana.t i tako zaradiruo za ilvot Kn.d
se to poCne masovno dogadati,
nemojte kriviti nas. Sarno
ovog mJesocu nekoliko Je mo- jih suboraca dlguu1o ruku na
svoju ohltelj ili na prvog su- sjeda. Otkaèe bombu i golo- vo. Ill polude, pa zapucaju po
ulici. Policija. govori da to ra- de pankeri, trgovcl drogom i
narokomaru, a ne osobe obo·
ljele u ratu. Svi se prave kao
da ne postojlrno.
Ovo da.na.s nlje Hrvatska ze. koju sam ja ubije.o. Dorio
stllll se za Hrvatsku gd)e ée ljudi dohro fivjoti l gdje oo veélnl biti dobro, a ne gla- vesinama za fotelje, tuste mercedese. vile, tvornice, ho- tele J ban.ke. Stalno se pitam, zasto je potrobno toliko vre- mena za rjeS3vanje stamherûb
i drugih problema razvoJaèenih
branitelja? Za.!to nam se ne daju nekakva re.-
dna mjesta l zùto na.m se ne
omoguéi normalan .tf.vot? Odnedavno sam s jednom Zenom. Prema ajoj sam se
malo otvorio. Ima za meno· malo viSe razwnijevanj& i strplJ•nja nego o.tali ljudi,
§to Je u mom sluëaju vaino.
lpak, znam da ml nJtko ne moZe pomoéi ako ne uspjJem
sarn. ProSlaje sa rnnom trnovit
put. rooje krlze i padove,
ail Je ustrajna. U poèetku ni- je ma.la. niSta o me1ù, ali ka- snije sarn joj sam pokaza.o nalaze. ~Evo, to samja. Uuni
Ili osta.vi!• Prirnokracije
i ostale gluposti.
Sto éu jas l:lm? To je ie1jezo
koje bih proda.o, sa.ma ga ni·
tko nete kupitl. A ta m.trovinska
revizija MORH-a je pro- tupra.vna. Predsjednik, general
Zvonlmir Cervenko pro!ll
je rojesec izgubio parnicu na Upravnom sudu od Mirovin-
:u:o•mp,i~:.~ Kad bi netko od nasih pogim10 u
~~m·~dJ:d~~~ Bosni, sfuibeno se objavila da je
~~i. ;t;~~ stradao u Slavonskom Brodu. Tu su
i:'o ·t u~a;~~ bile finte, nije se smjelo znati da ~~ poceu boJa- Hrvatska vojska ide u Bosnu Mnogi deèki se osjeéaju poput mene J sliCllo
iive . A tome je, oslm rata,
najvise pridon:io MORH.
Reclmo, moja miroVllla. je na
revizijl ad. sredine pro~ie go- dlne. Dr!e nas na ledu, da se swni ubijemo, pa da nas se
rijese. Mi smo opasrù za. Ijude
iz vrha MORH-a Jer puno znamo. a onf nakon smjene
vlasH vise neée iinati imunite\.
Mogll bl zamltl u Paragvaju.
Zalo fasnlclma kojl idu u mirovinu poldaajaju
hrvatski samokres s posv~-
tom. MoZda si neJd od nas
njime skrate muke. TapSu
nas po ramenu, kaZu da smo
hili dobrl i uvale tf pistolj s
nadom da tes se ubiti . Da
nas viSe nemaju na grbaëi.
Prodajem odlikovanja Ja imam svn. moguéa odlikovanja,
Pohvalnicu domovtnske
zallvalnostl. onda za pokazane izuzetne zasluge u obavlJan)u zadatu, za pomagaqje
pri ustroju Hrvatske vojske, u, disciplinirano po·
nasanje, za pomaganje de·
skog fonda. UnatOC tome. ra·
di se kao da Je sve legalno. Veé sam proSAo dvije reViZije.
MORH zeli dokazati da ue postoje pslhlèki oboljeli ljudi
~t=j~~jk! 0
J~!~1~!~: ma na.jtefün sluC8.jevima priznat
je postt.raumatski sîndrom,
a rijeC je o nskoliko
destaka osoba. U stvarnosti. gotovo sva.ld desetl koji je su·
dJclovao u ratnlm akcljama boluje od tog porameéaja . 1
moj lijel:'1lik je dobio naputke
za takve stvarl, sam mi je re· kao, Zna se koliko oboljelih
smije biti. Sto se ttrne hoée? Da tl ljudl ublju sami sebe ili
da ubiju nekoga drugoga? Ne Zele za nas dati novae, jer
srno zivi dokaz da je Hrvat·
aka prepuna oboljeb'h brarri- teljn., Za.to nas je bolJc maknuti,
da ipak bude kako j e
rekau rnin.istar Hehrang - da. oboljelili vojnika nema.
UniStavaju nas psiltièki.
jer smo za driavu Skart, JOSi za svalco drûstvo, oloS. Sto
puta sa.m lmao osjeéaj, kad
Nije mi Jau Irtava
Nfje ml fao onih koje sam\l
ublo, jer je bio rat. a u ratu ,~ ljudi giriu . l:csto nù se moje j irtve pojavljuju u snu, ali kao:..Î
ljudi be,. lica. Osjeéam se kao ! da su doSli po ruene. No, po-, \
nekad nû se Uvi i 1ato ne 7.e-·;
llm ncstatl preko noél. zato .'
ne ielim da se 2.1u1. moJe ime.~_! i prez.lme. Mogao bih svjedo-t '. èiti u Haagu protiv naredbo-~j
da.vaca iz MORH-a i Vlade
RH, da se dokaie njlhova od- ;
govornost u planiranju rata 1 :
pripremat\ju pokolja, da ae 1.naju nepravde. poèinjene
prema nama i prema hrvatskome
nn.rodu, kojeg su po- sllJe opljaèakali 1 svc mu oteli.
Kai.em, ne blb imao niSta
protiv, all ponekad imam zrnœ
na.de da opet mogu poCeti
normalno zivjeti. A.ko odem
u Haag, moida se vise nika.d
ncéu vratitî u Hrvatsku
niti vidjeti svoje dijete .
Kako daleko biste ieljeli otiéi ove godine? :~
Brifuh Airw,ys leli na vile vruéih deslinadja svijeta nego bilo koje druga avio-kompanija. Nudimo , Vam niL preooœan.skih destinacija, s direktnîm letovima i1. lond.onske W'lèr\.e luke Gatwick, ito "'
:z.naN da nikad nije bilo jednostavnije posjetiti mjesta na koja ste oduvijek !eljtli olië.
WWW.bfitish-airwa)'S.COl!l ,~rr~~~~rJ ...> ''j
:~

ANNEX72
V
Ivan Zvonimir Cicak, President of the Croatian
Helsinki Committee for Human Rights: "Krajina
burning again", authorized article published in Ferai
Tribune, Croatia, on 16 March 1998

301
IV AN ZVONIMIR CICAK, PRESIDENT OF THE CROA TIAN HELSINKI COMMITTEE,
TELLS THE SHOCKING DETAILS ABOUT NEW MASS BURNING OF SERBIAN
HOMES IN KRAJINA
KRAJINA BURNING AGAIN
There are obviously people in the state structures who are in cahoots with the local or
police structures doing the common job. It is bard to tell whether this is an operation
organized by the top leadership or whether it is, as former President Tudjman said in
bis speech at the HDZ party congress, "a local misstep". However, it is a fact that the
authorities do not properly respond and that they do not inform the public, which
proves that it, tacitly at least, approves such a policy.
It ail began by mysterious stories about numerous fires in Banija and Kordun regions
"because of dry grass". However, the dry grass swallowed up the bouses as well. But
when the smoke was gone, Croatian Helsinki Committee monitors discovered that the
purpose of the tire was to further the planned burning of bouses to prevent possible
return of Serbs. Croatian Helsinki Committee monitors have filmed in the Municipality
of Vrginmost as many as 47 newly burned households, meaning that more than a
hundred buildings have been burnt down. Similarly, 20 bouses were burnt down in
Korenica, Topusko, Kistanja, Donje Budacko and there are even news of the new
burning coming in from ail sides.
It is that method of burning bouses when, for instance, a returnee gets ail documents
properly signed within the process which lasts for months, but as soon as be crosses the
Croatian border or even while be is on bis way from the border to bis former home, bis
bouse suddenly catches fire and burns down. That was what happen~d in Topusko these
days when a returning family with two children was on its way home. Two days before
their arrivai in Topusko, their home simply burned down.
302
bil;,.jc.V!uêc t)elo 1S71. go· dtni:, )(-,è su hrvatsk! rn~-
dlji a!li puni vlies!! o
pct.Jdm;; vzdu:.è jaèranske
obalc. Cakako, za svc su Oil!
J.irlv1 orii' • SrbL To s.e înda doduS.e
govorl/o uvltcno . .11! se- in;,!o n::i
kogv se mis li. S obi:iron) da je hr-
<1als:vo lada bHo u rnodl, Goran
8-Jbié, kasniit> éo"'iùk twii Je obl:Jtlo
ruho po druglm po!l!lèk.Jm
modoma, a koji tia,11~5 :tlvi u t>eogradskomt~
eg1'.Hu, naplsao !e
ooz:natu pjt•srnu "Gori li le Hrvot-
~ka '
tJo, drumov1 sti oo·.tt-!l~H Srb.:i,
a.li Srb:i s~1::fa vi~e ncm~ . A Hrv.1t-
,skt1 pçnovno gon, i to ovJI
narn/erno potpaljhni_na. Svc
poteto éudcsnim prlé:t101M cu!m poZ:.>rhm.1 trn Bnnlji I K.ordunu
'1.L>og .ihJh~ Have", eH ÎlJ suhti lruvzi:
gu!oln i KuCe. No, knd sr ' 'dim
ra:z:!Sôo", .prom.:itrul:l HHO•a 01krill
su da le c-Hj poZ3r.i bto da!jnle
pl-tmsko p~llen)e kuéa k.:1ko bl se
spri/ctlo rnoguéf povrD!;,k Srb~.
na èemu ln.dsllra r wdunarodno
i.a]eonlca .
P!omatn:i-èi HHO-a 1avljt1jt1 lai-:o
~l~;iccn~~c~~~~ ~v~o:Jé~;J~;1~~~;:
<1lnmos!, t4mtrn Gvozd , Kuéo PO·
;f'F!n ;}l.Y t u Top:;:~kUfN ?' i c,k::,H,;.;i,
u Krniaku i Ko~enlci, te l!mc du
Ovor~· 1 Pe1fin.Je,
Rnd! s€-, mdme, o on!m mjesli·
mJ gdje te gol!m okorn moguéc
vld!etl da n!!e bile nlkakva pal jc--
nj<1 korova rwgo su nnnovo p-o!jano
ll.ute, n broJnl ok!lvlsH Ht-fO-i"I
lolog raJs.k1:n su {lparatlma l komt?r.itna
z.abllloHI! lotno d;m kad
Je-snlmljcna koja lzgorc-na k.uéo.
OvJh dana promMr:tCI HHO-a
sr.Jmill su II mfest!m., Trster.lc!,
v~ga.m<J, Lah.J:SL PodgorJu, DonjoJ
éernern!cî, ,
0Jetièanid. svc u op·
élnl Vrginmosl • lak tJ7 novospai/e-nlh
domaêms\.iva, J.ioja u pro!>-
jeku lmoju dva I Dol objek!o
(!,!aie, slaje, s/enici, g:arai.e)
JeèMko lako, sp:iqcno Je 20-
nk oblckr1t<1 u mJ<Jstîmil Korcr.!cl;
Topvs~omti. Krsl1n.ju, 'Jonji•m
Blidaèkom, tl v!!csl! o novim p?.·
ijcnJi1N; dolilZ.C s::1 svii, str:ma.
0 !orne d..i se r~di o p!;:ms~orn
djelo~•;mju svje,doè] 1 éin jenica
koju ic HHO v~é bc.-zbroJ ptda i::.-
noslo u j;.;ivriosl. N;ilrnu, to je on,1
rnelod:i p:-IJe~i,i kuée kad reci!no
ndd povru!nlk dob!jc- ur~clno sve
dc-in1rm;mtç u procodurf tto !r<l!O
m_!es-ec!ma, no Clm pr!Jede- hrvatsl<;u
gr .:iriicu, éeslo dok je r.a putu
od grarüce do kvêt>, njegov~ }u~
''" l.;:ncnildi? !igorl.
Dogodllo se lei ovit. Caria u To·
puskome, i-:act Je kuéJ kren-:.J!.a
Jèdnit obite:lj povratnlk~ ~ -dvof~
d_iece, Dva daoa pdje nllhova d{1•
!.asko v Topusko, kuéa jr· r.11pros-
!o tzgor/a!a.
OSUJSIUVAfUE
REH.RATA Oè\10 ;t!: d« .u dri:Hmin1 :;:;1-
rn~luram.;i _postoje osob~
kojc u dogovoru s opè'k)s·
~dm ili èak s. policljsklm s+
ruk.!11ran,;). rode zoiednfê-
ki posao: Vrfo /e tcS.ko
rnzluC!lt rodl il so o -org;:in
itfr11nol okcif! Il dri.uv~
-n~g vrha Hl, kako b! rakao
Prf!dsjcdnlk fodman
u svome: govoru nCI kongresu
Ht)7..-a, S.Jmc o ~
'ïokttlr.!m pogn?$kam.;". s
No, éinjer ,lca Ca -.,l~st '
rie rcaglri\ nn odgovarajuCJ
naé.in, dao takvîm slv:irim8
uopéc no l:c.vjott:wa jovnost,
yovorl o lorno da one u
nojmr.m/u nJku pro!iul·
no p-.:.6r:fovo 1akvu
poHtlku.
L1 mjesfü Btl!egu, lzmedu Vrglnmosta
! VoJnléa~ veé. v!Se- oct
sic godfn-a slojl golema zgrnda,
ko/11 je tn1Qlclonalno bi!8 ugostl·
tel}skl obj:-kt. î fjl'kom c1j<?log rn.-
t:a taj u9osUîeljski objckt ni1e ra·
d!O pn gn n!Je :,,ogln )mr!sl!tl ni
fadrm raina st!ana, nit\ le mogao
om prog!aSen ëetntlkim gr-!Jrz·
Qom. NO. n~ki Je dan 1a vttlik.a z:g~
ratiurlna koJ.'.l le pre.i!v/ela sve vlhore
rata, "gor!etn od krova n.Jnlh.
Oè.Uo zapaljen,3 je
n.:im}c:-rno.
m, J.:ako to da hrv.slska. pQUCl}adc
dan.3 danaSn)e1 · nt}& daia odgovor
o sluéaJevlma r,e.koHko c!esctakc
0'5oba, u proSloj godlnl
ok:o dvedcsefak, koje. su !itr?;~nle
od na,gaznlh mini';! u m)esnma gd}f
nlje bllo ratnih okrSajtc u srndlSu;
Kn:ijine, gd/e su mine m--,ryîc
samo nanovn b!!l µoslaYl/ene,
l\ako, dakle, dfe:Juju li
rnotnicl · dob!va!u li d/rcktivo iH
s.amo os.h1$kuju ion.ove-rv:1.liétlih
govora 12 Z;Jgreba? Ja u tome vid!m
wprnvo smisilo onakvog go--
vor.1 k.okav le! FroriJo r,,rf·-n;rn
odri.ao Ml pc-s.qednJcm i,ong~
resu, Naime. srnlsao l~kvih poli•
tléklf1 govor~ jcsl da _posiu?ml
ap.aralëici O! lanatlcl. ot:iutkujué!
!ntOn~cllti: u govoru, provGde v
d/oto ono .S!o ont prop,oz.onlu ka.o
pi,ruku. Nek..;ct !'!-C otho11a.nfein
l!h nfJt\nsl v govo-:lmn b-DvlM cl)f'·
ID Jedna po!hiéka z.nanost ko1.:i se
zv3la - krcrnljo iogljï:'. 011;J je 1:-
rnedu rcd::ik3 pronvL:u:l!n ponJk~;
danaS !h i1lje po!rebno tral:.lH tzmedu
rcdaka, jcr SlJ Tudmariovi
govorl toHko tr11.nsprircnti Ca daju
vrlo /asn~ polltlèke napvtk:e i naredbc.

On. nalmo , sm.Jtrn da ét- ljudf
10-T·enu, r1JogovJ eljctlb~n lcl,
ck; ü.:hfir10 j.Hsn.o prn:;:n;, ;: hr,1I
dfri:--~Hvl ;, a
Ivan lvonirnir
è;iak: "Krajina
g,ori o-d mcinjo.
Jcr hrvat.:.ltn
•·lost Î njoxini
sl/1:dbenici ne
tire mrinju -
trmaTim kofü.irtarac"
da êe onda stwaHtl da on ne.kt
kczme:ièke Us.tupke mora ttnrn sa.me zbog pr!tlska medunmort -
ne 1.:ajcdnlce. Kàkà jt u Hrv-a1tsk<1i
napr~vlten prdvl polfllé'kl pokr~t ~r~~,:~~~l::a~~:::;::::~;,:: j
Eutopi I mechmarodnoJzajodfütf,
o~da îe rr1sn-o da se po~ovno i:!k,
1iv!ra ona s!;,r;, tez.a ~ o'~1 r.u in:;:t.iSc
bili nat l d-dk i, ali tiH to doen.is
nijè dohro 9.0.,•vrUJ. A t.o ~:qt-• us .• l·
1 1.-iSkl pokrct u Orugom s:vithok.on1 .
r.af!..i slmbo!l::!ran Josenovccm èl- (
nio rnn:-:ovnc zloèine. to ntHU'tmc j dn se ospor,No, r:1'go sc d.ri:I gn- '. le>VO hc,czorn. ·
Kon.ifnQi !.t poll"'mlk f} i:.nncdu
gcn.erala Ce-rvaniHf f /•...,;-;~;i-: 1
vidljlvo je d.~ je 1 tljckor~ $~.ih Vôf• ;
nlh opcrac:lta po~toloo r:Hlfri!Mr H ,
:iws:tov 1.it;,ovtjcd!, kri)i je !:\:;il, 1t, j
rnvnt.} k Pt~d:Ht1dtilhova
iak·o se mogio tit:>gclHtl da- ,
venknva z.ipovljedl, 1.1 ko)im.: tft i ovaj Sko.lové1~,1 hrvnt:s:ki êasr1lk u i
skladu s mf.ldun;irodnim norn-rn~ ~
nll"!. uv! Jc-k upoz.oravao ·~a k.Jtnc ·-!
no rafr.:o prgvo, twdu ~ft facfo 2>1- l
nemar!vane, a ;.1 praksr se prov,.,. ; ,
dilo ono Sto Je i$io pi1raleino &1-j ! ~ft~~!::;:::~~~,, ~:~~ ~o::t~; ! : ~~~~~: ~~~:-~.i[i, sv ~· rJo Pui..fo{t>J :
PRO~ATRAèl SEj :
VRICA.IU ! , Kao reakc;f}u nu t:ûtvo ponn§n- i i
njo danas itnêmQ pofatan.l l
pdtls.nk modunarodne '
z:ijednlr:e, koJf se me~
du!Jm ne odvlj:i samo
n.a meduna.rodnoj sc<,-
n! ne-go ovêfe, r.a !e·
renu
303
,,.
li a. Colovo neprlm!clno , u tlt! ni,
er- UNHCR , Evrops \.ia uni)a l OE:SS
Je pojat ~va)u svo)u aJ,.!ivnos1, ! lo
( u ne samo poJaUrn!rn radon--. pos -
:lil · to jeéih prnma!raé k.!h m:si)a nego
ne- 1 o!vara~ jem no vlh. Tako ,:e UNH,
za- CR bio odlué lo povuél $e lz svlh
vo- ureda ri3 te re nu osim onoc.a u
..,1. Karlovc u ! Knl11u, aH je r;;zv;/ s;!-
lu;1cije rrn tc r~nu natj erao UNH -
cr: O.:,, pnnovno o tvorl 5\.'0/~ ur e ·
od- de u ;/o fnléu , Topuskorno l drugdte,
jcr je sltu ac lJa, po njlrna, dran1atib1a
I po gorhva s e, umje S:t'o
da se pobol!~ava .
Prom;Jtr at i Europsk e unl/c kanlll
s u zatvodll éak ! 5\10}
sa- ur ed
Slun ju I polpu no povué! svofu
mlsi)u lz Hrve tsli.e, no sa.da od lutu
/:..: pono vn o rcakt lviratl s.voje
s:are centre jer uvfdaju ko!lk <1 /e pol reUa n!1!1011i:Y izravnog borav -
ka n.::i tere n11.
1 do\.: se sve !o dogada, hrva!ska
se lavnos t zaprrivo havi sporednlr
~ r.aspravam.a, a no tQrnell~ .
ri ;-m ·ptt::::nJlm a o koj!mà ii:udb u,sk! '.
ovltil Hrv.Jts ka . .Hrvau1ko jo mn!- ;
jen1.c polo nurc u leta.f'glju u koJ<>J1
o slm svad ;;i poHt!tn r;:1 za svoj djc -
l!t f<ola~a j svo fu slne kuru u nel<!m
u pravn tm organlma 111 pa k u
nadz or n_!rn od borlma, gc:ovo da
1 nernct lde jne borbe. Sve Je
pornu é eno,
Kttk o je rnoguée da Hrvatl!lld
oiimpt!skl komltet
1H bl! o koja sp-orls.ka
orgar.lzac lja
lsu roag !rsll
na skartda-
1 o z a n
l ako da! e-ko dà su l ls1'm t enl, rnfl
nfrabi krlt!èarl propus tll\ pdmiJotltl
to dlclo sports-ke herei:c
Ail ~u 2a!o hrvatske vlast l vrlo
tolar&:nlne prema Odp léu I njegovl
m ohrabr!tet)lma pallk uta '.oj!
su r,e,kon Vuko vara naka nlll :svo j
neonac! s!ltkl show l.:vts !I J u
Knlnu. Dapié Je n~. )<ontercr ,cf)l 2.a
t!sak 12:Javlo d a hrva1sk l vo jnl cl
n il<ad nlsu pOzdra vl jaH u2:algnulo
m desnom rukom . To je iat no.
Nalme , svnk! pr')s jeé an él!a!e!!
bitée Sokiran kad vl di r;a rn, . s!·
ran !cl Glob11s;i od i3. ofo /1-:a hrvatski;'!
ustaSe kak o polai u pr l•
' 3ogu, Po tomo lspada dn su sv!
~sta se bln Srbl. o dn su H DZ-ovc !
rnuslim.·nL Naime, ustà§e prl!lkom
pr! eçe drie uz~Hgnuta !ri
pr slo, a rnus!!man 1 drï:e svo)u
de snu ruku na srcu,
pos<upak rnini st,a obrane Go/ka SIRENJE MRZNJE SuSka , lw j! Je nc!<o!!ko jana pri}e Kad b! dan as nekak av pros leè-
po èetka Oiimpi )sklh igara usp- ni Hrv at podlgn uo des nu ·ruku s
Jc~nirn sportaSimü ~a pok lon dao lr l rrsla, prog!us!l! b! ga ne s-amv
- sarnokre sc fili!I r,it!o! )e. Da je ëctnl ko m nego Draiom Miha l/om
!rii st:..r obrtme bila gd jn u sv ijc- viéem cscbno. A musliman l. ta! lu PO\•uku c :;.iîbnn pole;:, b !o b ! LO od Pave!i êa prok l..lmlran l "r,vi) ct
po~ !jcdri j1 p-otei u nlcgcv oj po il- hrvot skog naroda " dana 9 su u
l it ko) ker!]~ri. ~Jo, mHllorlz.icl/0 zujedn! èkom bra!.stvu Tudmar:a 1
polll itkc sYIJc-stl u Hrv af5ko I Ide , MJ/ofov lén :ipreS:anl u pol /Uèkom
Radi se o onoj metodi pa ljenja kuée kad, primjerice,
neki povratnik dobije uredno sve dokumente
u procedvri koja traie mjesecima, no, iim prijede
hrvatsku granicu - iesto dok je na putu od grunice
do kuie - njegova kuéa iznenada izgori. Dogodilo
se to i ovih dani:I u Topuskome, kod je kuéi krenula
obitelj povratnika s dvoie djece. Dva dana priie
njihova dolaska u Topusko,
kuéa im je
naprosto izgv.-jela
h (>rba rqu kako.b l bar u kra 5no àlo
dutje traja ll.
Ali l za ova j élao ak, 1 za sva ko
dru go sHlno go voren jQ ko jfrn a se
up oz orava ria !c!Splrlv an;e !'i:ovt -
nl zma, na po!lca nfe na mri n !u.
nc1 ncadtd(Vtl!i' n odno s prefîi8 nur mama mC'dun nrod ne zafedn
l ce . n.i. pot rebu su redn je s H~-
;iSJ<' lm su dom bit é-e op:-u:tlvan t·
bord za ljud sk a pra va ko )( se
Zi'.lafu z·a ruvnop r.av n.os! !jt1(.H.
N)ih ée iivko Kus tit u svc j lrn re -
dovl tfm kofumnam a na zivat\ raz~
91.:iSava!e lJlma hrvatsk lh Z!oèlna,
a rui:.'"l'lan Ce ih nazh:at! li:rn sli -
nam0-, l.:rodlma , nep rljut e q!rna 1
silè ne , PrJtom l pr edfi !ednlk Tud~
m ;:m i iiYk.o Kusr!é l brojnl dr ug!
njl t1ov! s!jedben "rci, od Ma/ e Freun
d fich d6 Nenad a /van.'<"ôyiéa,
tl ne krlvJCno dJelo k;'linpvo po
èlanku 174. Kaz-ncnog zak ona
flH kojl je slup lo na snagu 1 _sj .
JcCnJa 19!:iS.
U tom za k;Jnu u élanku o ras -
r,oJ ! drugoj :.iskt irninoci ji sto fl da
ée se "!<aznl"'Tl za1.vora ad 5est
m! ese-cl do pet tJocllnit ko12n1U
svn t ko tko progon ! organ izaci fe
1H po jedtnce zhog nflh ova zaiag ëi·
n/a zii rnvric pr avn_os t 1judl"', S!o
pok azuje da l hr vats.kl d.ri.11:'ltii
ltJi.fte!j Hr.J/Jfs kl sam èln l dvo slr u-
~o k rlvltno dJclo : prvo, no tui l 1
ku neno ne gonl osobe koje-élne
ionn eno dj elo 12 tJAnkB 174. KZ·
a; l drugo progonl oso bc k-o)e se
za lai:u i a rav n·opra vnost ljud f !
nflh ove o rgan lzucl je, a sve to po
nalog u pol!t lèkogn vrh a éljt jn govo
r prepun mrinjtJ .
Za !o nam dri:ov n sllb no ono
na S!o sllCf, a Kn1Jlnn, ta oduvltc l<
hrv<1lsktl I ZVonitn irova Kraj!na,
gori li gor!. KraJfn;:i gor l od
mri nj e. Jer hrvats ka v!as l i njel'lnl
Sljed t>enlcl r.e Sire mri njti · u
ma ll lTi 'k.o!lé!n am,
Ivan' ZVONIMIR élèAK (j

ANNEX73
Amnesty International Briefing to the UN Committee
against Torture", 2010

307
CROATIA
BRIEFING TOTHE UNITED
NATIONS COMMITTEE
AGAINST TORTURE
AMNESTY
INTERNATIONAL
308
Amnesty International Publications
First published in 2010 by
Amnesty International Publications
International Secretariat
Peter Benenson House
1 Easton Street
London WClX DOW
United Kingdom
www.amnesty.org
© Copyright Amnesty International Publications 2008
Index: EUR 64/001/2010
Original Language, English
Printed by Amnesty International, International Secretariat, United Kingdom
Ali rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form
or by any means, electronic, mechanical , photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the
publishers.
Amnesty International is a global movement of2.2 million
people in more than 150 countries and territories, who
campaign on human rights. Our vision is for every person to
enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights and other international human rights
instruments. We research, campaign, advocate and mobilize
to end abuses of human rights. Amnesty International is
independent of any government, political ideology, economic
interest or reli&ion. Our work is lar1ely financed by
contributions from our membership and donations
AMNESTY
INTERNATIONAL
309
CONTENTS
Introduction ................... .... ........ .... .................. ............ .................... ......... ................... 5
Failure to thoroughly , promptly and impartially investigate and prosecute acts of torture or
cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment which occured in the context of the 1991-199 5
war ..... ............ ...... ................. ........ ..... ....... .......... ........... .... .................. ....................... 6
Failure to Conduct Prompt, impartial and full investigations and to prosecute the
perpetrators ................................................... ............................ ............................... 7
Ethnie Bias in sentencing in war crimes trials ................ ............... ............ .......... .......... 9
Failure to ensure fair and adequate reparation, including compensation to victims of war
crimes, including those involving or resulting in torture or' other ill-treatment ........ ............ 11
Failure to ensure full cooperation with the internati onal criminal tribunal for t he former
yugoslavia (ICTY) ...................... ........ .................... ............ ............. ............ ................. 13
Failure to enforce all relevant legislation providing for the protecti on of witnesses and other
participants in proceedings ............ ...... ................. .......... .................... ........ .... ..... .... .... 14
Failure to make judges, prosecutors and lawyers fully aware of croatia's internat ional
obligat ions in the field of human rights, particul arly those enshrined in the convention ...... 17
310
Croatia 5
Briefing to the United Nations Committee against Torture
INTRODUCTION
This briefing is submitted by Amnesty International in advance of the Committee against
Torture's adoption of the list of issues prior to the submission by the Republic of Croatia of
ils fourth periodic report on its implementation of the Convention against Torture and Other
Cruel, lnhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (hereafter, the Convention). Il
outlines Amnesty lnternational's concerns about the failure of the authorities to take
adequate measures to implement some of the provisions of the Convention and some of the
recommendations made by the Committee against Torture (hereafter, the Committee)
following ils examination of Croatia's third periodic report in May 2004 (UN Doc:
CAT/C/CR/32/3). Amnesty International considers that these failures have resulted in ongoing
violations of the rights of individuals which are guaranteed under the Convention.
ln particular, this submission highlights the organization's concerns with regards to the
failure of the authorities to fully implement the Committee 's 2004 recommendations to:
Thoroughly, promptly and impartially investigate and prosecute acts of torture or cruel,
inhumane and degrading treatment which occurred in the context of the 1991-1995
war;
Provide adequate reparation for such acts to victims and their families;
Ensure full cooperation with the International Cri minai Tribunal for the Former
Yugoslavia (ICTY);
Enforce all relevant legislation providing for the protection of witnesses and other
participants in proceedings;
Ensure that judges, prosecutors and lawyers are fully aware of Croatia's internati onal
obligations in the field of human rights, particularly those enshrined inunder the
Convention against Torture.
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311
6 Croatia
Briefing to the United Nations Comm1ttee against Torture
FAILURE TO THOROUGHLY, PROMPTLY
AND IMPARTIALLY INVESTIGATE ND
PROSECUTE ACTS OF TORTURE OR
CRUEL, INHUMANE AND DEGRADING
TREATMENT WHICH OCCURED IN THE
CONTEXT OFTHE 1991-1995 WAR
ln its Concluding Observations on the Republic of Croatia in May 2004 the Committee
expressed its concerns in relation to tortu re and ill-treatment which occurred in the context of
the 1991-1995 war. Those concerns included:
"(i) The reported failure of the State party to carry out prompt. impartial and full
investigations, to prosecute the perpetrators and to provide fair and adequate compensation
to the victims ;
(ii) Allegations that double standards were applied at all stages of the proceedings against
Serb defendants and in favour of Croat defendants in war crime trials;
(iii) The reported harassment, intimidat ion and threats faced by witnesses and vict ims
testifying in proceedings and the lack of adequate protection from the State party." 1
The Committee recommended that Croat ia undertake "effective measures to ensure impartial,
full and prompt investigations into all allegations of torture and other cruel, inhu man or
degrading treatment , the prosecution and punishment of the perpetrators as appropriate and
irrespective of thei r ethnie origin, and the provision of fair and adequate compensation for
the victims." 2
Amnesty International is concerned that despite some efforts undertaken in the recent years
the authorities have failed to adequately implement the above-mentioned recommendations
by the Committee.
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312
Croatia 7
Briefing to the United Nations Committee against Torture
FAILURE TOCONDUCT PROMPT, IMPARTIAL AND FULL INVESTIGATIONS AND TO
PROSECUTETHEPERPETRATORS
ln the course of the conflict war crimes , including arbitrary killings, torture including rape,
enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention and forcible expulsions were committed on a
large scale by bath members of the Croatian Army and police forces on one side, and
members of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA - Jugoslovenska Narodna Arm,ja) and Serb
paramilitary groups on the other side. 3
To date only a very limited number of those crimes have been investigated and a limited
number of those responsible have been brought to justice in proceedings in line with
international fair trial standards. According to Amnesty lnternational's research, most of the
prosecutions which have taken place relate to crimes committed by members of the Croatian
Serb populat ion while the crimes committed by members of the Croatian Army and police
forces remain largely unaddressed.
ln recent years, under significant pressure from the international community, authorities have
taken some action with a view to improving the prosecution of war crimes cases in a manner
which is consistent with international fair trial standards. One of the most significant
measures undertaken included the adopt ion by the State Prosecutor's Office of instructions
for the county prosecutors which aimed at addressing the issue of bias against Croatian Serbs
in the prosecution of cases.4 The instructions, adopted in October 2008, established general
criteria for work on war crimes cases, including their selection. ln December 2008 an action
plan was developed which intended to provide for the review by the State Prosecutor's Office
of all cases and the elimination of those in which no "quality " evidence was available, as well
for the review of cases in which judgments had been adopted in in absentia proceedings,
with a view to requesting the renewal of the proceedings.5 ln addit ion, county prosecutors
were requested to identify priority cases for immediate prosecution .
ln order to address the growing concern of the international community painting to the
impunity for war crimes in Croatia and the apparent bias in the jud iciary, the authorities in
recent years have attempted to compile statistics on the number of prosecuted cases. Based
on the analysis of war crimes proceedings in the country in the period from the beginning of
2005 to the end of 2009 , the government concluded that 80 war crimes cases have been
prosecuted in this five-year period in Croatia.6 The organization believes that the number of
prosecuted cases is far from satisfactory considering the scale of war crimes committed by
bath sides in the 1991-1995 war.
While welcoming the measures undertaken so far by the authorities to prosecute war crimes,
Amnesty International remains concerned that these measures remain largely unimple mented
and that they have failed to significantly resolve the issue of impunity for war crimes in
Croatia.
Amnesty International is extremely concerned that the low capacity of the justice system in
Croatia to deal with war crimes cases may cause an irreversible impunity for those crimes as
together with the passage of time less and less potential witnesses are available to the
prosecution and other evidence might be harder to collect.
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313
8 Croatia
Briefing to the United Nations Committee against Torture
The organization is particularly concerned that the number of cases under prosecution clearly
indicates that ethnie bias still exists in Croatia, as a result of which war crimes committed by
members of the Croatian Army and police forces remain largely unaddressed.
SISAK
Proceedings related to the war crimes committed in the Sisak area, southeast of Zagreb,
highlight Amnesty lnternational's continuing concerns about the lack of progress in
investigating and prosecuting crimes committed against Croatian Serbs.
The town of Sisak itself has a population of approximately 37,000 inhabitants. 7 Before the
war 24 percent of its population were Croatian Serbs. Incidents of war crimes committed by
both members of the Croatian Army and police forces on one side, and members of the
Yugoslav People's Army (JNA - Jugoslovenska Narodna Arm ija) and Serb paramilitary groups
on the other side, were common. According to the Head of Police in Sisak there have been
410 criminal reports filed against 520 perpetrators in relation to war crimes committed in
the area. By the end of 2009 bodies of 684 persans were exhumed and another 599 persons
are still registered as missing.8
The research of Amnesty International and many other non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) and international organizations indicates that the events in Sisak and surrounding
villages followed a pattern which included killings, torture and enforced disappearances of
Croatian Serbs in the town of Sisak; cases of killings, torture and other ill-treatmen t in the
ORA detention facility in Sisak; as well as the 22 August 1991 military operation conducted
by the "Thunders" unit in the surrounding villages. The estimates on the numbers of vict ims
vary from 35 to more than 600 with the most reliable number of around 100 persans killed
or disappeared.9
As of March 2010, there has been only one case in relation to war crimes against Croatian
Serbs which finished with a conviction, against one defendant who was a member of the
Croatian Army. 10 The accused was charged with killing of a civilian whom he had abducted
from a hospital in Zagreb and killed in the woods near Sisak. Another case relating to war
crimes against Croatian Serbs, brought against two individuals, started in January 2010 and
as of 1 April 2010 remained pending. 11 The accused were charged with killing, torturing and
treating in an inhuman manner civilian population . ln December 2009 an indictment was
issued against two former Croatian Army members for beating to death a Croatian Serb
civi I ian. 12
Amnesty International believes that the response of the Croatian authorities to address the
war crimes committed against Croatian Serbs in Sisak has been insufficient and that it
continues to result in impunity, includ ing for war crimes involving or resulting in torture and
other ill-treatment. 13
ln contrast, the authorities have been very active in the prosecution of cases of war crimes
committed by the Croatian Serbs agaiilst ethnie Croats.
Since the war ended, the County Court in Sisak has been one of the busiest courts in the
country prosecuting war crimes cases.14 ln total to date, more than 100 Croatian Serbs have
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314
Croatia g
Briefing to the United Nations Committee against Torture
been tried and convicted for war crimes committed in the Sisak area.
As of March 2010 315 war crimes cases had been registered with the County Prosecutor's
Office in Sisak. This number included the following categories of cases:
1. Cases in which indictments were issued: 16 cases
2. Cases under investigation by the prosecutor: 22 cases
3. Cases at the pre-investigative stage where the alleged perpetrators have not yet been
identified: ail remaining 277 cases.
Amnesty International has been informed by the Chief State Prosecutor that of the 38 war
crimes cases in which investigations are underway or indictments have been issued by the
County Prosecutor 's Office in Sisak, in six cases the alleged perpetrators were members of
the Croatian Army or police forces and in 32 the alleged perpetrators were members of JNA
or Serbian paramilitary groups. 15
ln an interview with Amnesty International the County Prosecutor in Sisak acknowledged that
of the remaining 277 registered cases at pre-investigative stage (in which the alleged
perpetrators have yet to be identified), the great majority of the alleged perpetrators were
believed to be Croatian Serbs.16 The County Prosecutor in Sisak also informed Amnesty
International that of the 10 priority cases (among the remaining 277 at the pre-investigative
stage) which will receive urgent attention in future, only one case, against several
perpetrators based on their command responsibility, is against alleged perpetrators believed
to be ethnie Croats; all remaining nine cases are ones in which the alleged perpetrators are
believed to be Croatian Serbs.
Amnesty International is concerned that these statistics indicate that a considerable
discrepancy in prosecutions based on the ethnicity of the accused continues.
Concern about the issue of impunity for crimes committed against Croatian Serbs and other
minorities has been raised by several international organizations and human rights bodies .
The European Union (EU) Progress Reports on .Croatia have pointed to the issue several times
in the past years. The last report observed "[. . .] impunity for war crimes remains a problem,
especial/y where victims were ethnie Serbs or perpetrators were a//egedly members of the
Croatian armed forces. Many crimes remain unprosecuted, often due to a combination of Jack
of evidence, unwillingness of witnesses to come forward, e.g. due to intimidation , and
unwillingness or reluctance of police and prosecutors, particu/arly in certain localities ." 17
The UN Human Rights Committee, which in October 2009 reviewed the second periodic
report submitted by the government of Croatia on its implementat ion of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, raised concerns about "reports that many potential
cases of war crimes remain unreso/ved, and that the selection of cases has been
disproportionally directed at ethnie Serbs ".18
ETHNIC BIAS IN SENTENCING IN WAR CRIMES TRIALS
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Amnesty International is concerned that the apparent ethnie bias is reflected not only in
decisions by prosecutors on cases to prosecute but also in the sentencing of persans
convicted of war crimes.
ln particular Amnesty International is concerned that, as a general rule the ethnicity of the
accused has had an effect on the sentence received following conviction for war crimes. From
its analysis of war crimes verdicts in Croatia in recent years, Amnesty International considers
that it is apparent that mitigati ng circumstances have been considered more often when the
perpetrators were ethnie Croats and their victims Croatian Serbs or members of other ethnie
communities.
Amnesty International also notes that service by the perpetrator in the Croatian Army or
police forces during the war was itself considered to be a mitigating factor in sentencing in
war crimes trials in county courts in Croatia. Amnesty Internat ional considers that such a
practice runs counter to the duty of judges presiding over war crimes trials to ensure that
sentences for such crimes are commensurate with the gravity of the crimes and are not
affected by the ethnicity of the accused or the victim.
The organization is extremely concerned that the apparent practice of Croatian county courts
of considering service in the Croatian Army or police forces during the war as mitigat ing
circumstances in sentencing has been approved and endorsed by the Supreme Court of the
Republic of Croatia.
For example, in the case against Rahim Ademi and Mirko Norac in which the accused among
other counts of the indictment were charged with torture, inhumane and degrading treatment
of Croatian Serb civilians and which was one of the most high-profile and rare cases in
Croatia in which the accused were members of the Croatian Army, the Supreme Court in its
March 2010 verdict, while considering the sentence for the second accused, concluded that
the first instance court correctly established the mitigating circumstances in the case. Those
circumstances were, among others: the tact that war crimes were committed as part of a
lawful military action by the Croatian Army as well as the participation of the accused in the
war for independence and that he had received medals and decorations for his contribution
to the defence of the country. Further, the Supreme Court expanded the applicat ion of the
mitigating circumstances by concluding that the accused was no longer able to repeat the
same acts and that while committing the crimes he was exposed to a war situati on. ln its
verdict the Supreme Court also stated that the accused was pursuing the legitimat e goal of
defending his country against an armed aggression. The verdict concluded that the sentence
of seven years imposed by the first instance court was too severe because the mitigating
circumstances were applied in too narrow a sense. Consequently, Mirko Norac's sentence was
reduced to six years' imprisonment. (The other accused, Rahim Ademi, was acquitted). 19
A different panel of judges of the Supreme Court also considered the ethnicity of the accused
and their service in the Croàtian Army as a mitigating factor in the war crimes case against
Mihajlo Hrastov.20
These aspects of these two Supreme Court judgments - which indicate a bias in favour of
ethnie Croats convicted for war crimes against Croatian Serbs - serve as precedent to be
followed by the county courts presiding over war crimes trials.
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This concern, which Amnesty International has raised several times in meetings with the
Croatian authorities, remains unaddressed and has been echoed by other institutions . For
example, the European Commission , in its Progress Report on Croatia in October 2009 ,
observed that "where cases are brought, j udgments often take the convicted person's role in
the defence of the home/and as a mitiga ting factor, which creates a clear ethnie bias in
sentencing for comparable crimes ". 2 1
FAILURE TO ENSURE FAIR AND
ADEQUATE REPARATION, INCLUDING
COMPENSATION O VICTIMS OF WAR
CRIMES, INCLUDING THOSE
INVOLVING ORRESULTING IN
TORTURE OR OTHER ILL-TREATMENT
ln its Concluding Observations on the Republic of Croatia in May 2004, the Committee
recommended that , in relation to the crimes committed during the 1991-1995 war, the
government provide "fair and adequate compensation for the victims ".22
Amnesty International is concerned that rather than implement ing this recommendation ,
additional obstacles -- based on the implementation of a law on compensation for war crimes
which went into effect in 2003 -- have prevented many victims of war crimes, including
those involving or resulting in torture or other iil-treatment, from successfully claiming
compensation.
Until 1996 compensation for material and non-material damage was regulated in Croatia by
Article 180 of the Obligations A.ct.23 ln 1996, when a new Obligations Act entered into
force, ail pending compensation proceedings, related to the war, were suspended. lt was
assumed in the law that ail proceedings would be re-opened when a new law on the
responsibility of the Republic of Croatia for wartime damages entered into force.
ln July 2003 new laws entered into force based on which the suspended compensation
proceedings were automatically re-opened.24
According to the Croatian law now in force applicable to war-related compensation claims
against the Republic of Croatia, the interest of the state is represented by the State
Prosecutor's Office. Under the law, the burden of proof lies on the applicants, who have to
prove that the damage they seek compensation for was caused in the period between 17
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August 1990 to 30 June 1996 and that it was as a result of an action by the Croatian Army
or police forces.
Amnesty International believes that this law creates a conflict of interest for the State
Prosecutor's Office, which must both investigate and prosecute those responsible for war
crimes and then under this compensation law, it must defend the interest of the state in
compensation claims for such crimes .
Amnesty International is also concerned about the implementat ion of the law in practice.
According to a Croatian NGO, families of victims of war crimes , including those involving or
resulting in torture , have filed at least 50 compensation claims .25 Amnesty International is
aware that out of this number at least 22 compensation cases have been filed by in habitants
of the Sisak area.26 ln all but one of the cases from Sisak, compensation claims have been
rejected. 27
ln all of the cases which Amnesty International has examined in which compensation claims
have been rejected , the reasoning by the courts was the same, namely that the statute of
limitation applied and that the applicants had failed to prove that the damage was caused by
the members of the Croatian Army or police forces and therefore that the Republic of Croatia
was not liable for the damage.
The Obligation Act which is used by the Croatian courts in compensation cases to establish
whether the statute of limitation applies prescribes the period of 3 years since the claimant
became aware of the damage but no more than five years starting from when the damage
occurred. Compensation claims related to cri minai acts are an exemption from this rule and
the statute of limitation in those cases equals the same period prescribed for statute of
limitation in criminal proceedings. However, according to the practice established by courts
in Croatia in order to benefit from the extended statute of lim itation the applicants have to
prove that the acts they claim compensation for were indeed cri minai acts. This , in all
compensation cases filed by the famil ies of victims of war crimes, proved to be impossible as
cri minai proceedings have not been either initiated or concluded by the State Prosecutor's
Office and as a result nobody has been convicted in criminal proceedings in relation to those
acts.
This practice is inconsistent with the principle enshrined in international standards that a
victim's status is not dependent on the identification, prosecution or conviction of the
perpetrator of human rights violations or crimes under international law28 •
Amnesty International is also concerned that the applicants whose compensation cases have
failed, many of whom are pensioners, have been ordered to cover the costs of the
proceedings. Sorne of the cost orders amounted to almost € 10,000. 29 Amnesty International
is also aware of several cases in which proceedings have been init iated to seize the property
of the applicants who have lost their compensation cases against the Republic of Croatia and
who were not able to pay the costs of th ose proceed i ngs. 30
ln May 2009, by a decision of the government, the costs of the compensation proceedings
brought under the compensation law in effect until 1996, Artic le 180 of the Obligation Act,
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and which had been resumed under the 2003 laws, were annulled and the applicants were
exempted from paying them. However, the decision does not include compensation
proceedings which have been initiated after 1996 - which are the majority of the claims. For
compensation cases initiated after 1996, under the government decision, the costs of the
proceedings would be annulled only if applicants withdrew the claims.
Amnesty International also notes that the granting of other measures of reparation -
restitution, rehabilitation, satisfaction and guarantees of non-repetition - which should be
available to the victims of wartime torture and other ill-treatment are not even regulated by
the Croatian law. ln that regard, Amnesty International notes that the authorities have yet to
translate and disseminate in the Croatian language the UN Basic Principles and Guidel ines
on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International
Human Rights Law and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law.
FAILURE TO ENSURE FULL
COOPERATION WITH THE
INTERNATIONAL CRIMINALTRIBUNAL
FOR THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA
(ICTY)
ln its Concluding Observations in May 2004 the Committee recommended that the
authorities ensure "full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former
Yugoslavia (ICTY), inter alia by ensuring that al/ indicted persans in their territory are arrested
and transferred to the custody of the Tribunal".31
Amnesty International is concerned that this recommendation has only partially been
implemented. While Amnesty International has welcomed the tact that since 2004 Croatia
has surrendered to the ICTY ail remaining accused, the organization is concerned that the
authorities have failed to provide the ICTY with the military documents related to the 1995
Operation Storm in relation to which three Croatian Army generals Ante Gotovina, Ivan
Cermak and Mladen Markac were on trial before the ICTY.
The ICTY's Prosecutor has claimed that the Croatian autho rit ies have intenti onally hidden or
concealed military documents concerning Operation Storm. ln June 200 8 the ICTY's
Prosecutor filed an application for an order requesting the Croatian authorities to provide his
office with ail outstanding documentation in the case. 32
ln September 2008 the ICTY Trial Chamber ordered the Croatian authorities to continue the
investigation into the whereabouts of the documents, which had yet to be provided and to
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provide the Tribunal with a further report on the steps undertaken to obtain the requested
documents .
ln his last report to the UN Security Council in November 20 0 9, the ICTY Chief Prosecutor
stated that "since the previous report to the Security Council L .. J no substant ial progress has
been made in locating a number of key military documents related to Operation Storm of
1995, which the Office of the Prosecutor had first requested in 2007." 33
ln October 2009 the UN Human Rights Committee recommended that the authorities in
Croatia "expedite the recovery and delivery of the records of Croatian military operations
required by the /CTY in the completion of its investigative work".34
According to information available to Amnesty International , as of 1 April 2010 the
authorities of Croatia had failed to provide the ICTY with the requested documents.
FAILURE TO ENFORCE ALL RELEVANT
LEGISLATION PROVIDING FOR THE
PROTECTION OF WITNESSES AND
OTHER PARTICIPANTS IN
PROCEEDINGS
ln its last Concluding Observations on Croatia in May 2004 the Committee recommended
that the government "enforce ail relevant legislation providing for the protection of witnesses
and other participants in proceedings and ensure that suffic ient funding is allocated for
effective and comprehensive witness protection programmes. "35
Amnesty International is concerned about several examples which indicate that witness
protection , especially in war crimes cases, has not been adequately provided by the
authorities. The organization also considers that the lack of investigation and prosecution of
cases of intimidation of witnesses perpetuates an atmosphere of impunity, not only for war
crimes but also for perverting the course of justice.
For several years Amnesty International has raised concern that the authorities have failed to
investigate the killing of Milan Levar. Milan Levar was a potential witness at the ICTY and
had campaigned for justi ce for war crimes victim s. He was killed in August 2000 by an
explosive device planted underneath his car, after making statements to the media alleging
that Mirko Norac and some other high level Croatian politi cians were responsible for war
crimes committed against the Croatian Serb population in the Lika region. Ten years later no
one has been brought to justice for his death. Milan Levar's wife has received death threats
from unknown individuals, which began after she was interviewed by the media about her
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husband's death. When asked by Amnesty International about the investigation of the case,
the authorities of Croatia responded that the case cou Id not be further investigated because
the alleged perpetrator, who was identif ied and interrogated, gave his testimony without his
lawyer present. They stated that the evidence collected in the case was therefore
inadmissible. They also rejected the possibility of re-opening t he case.
ln relation to the crimes highlighted by Milan Levar in the Lika region two Croatian Army
generals, Mirko Norac and Rahim Ademi, were initially indicted by the ICTY in relation to war
crimes committed during and after the "Medak Pocket" Operation in 1993. The case was
transferred from the ICTY to the Croatian courts in September 2005. The accused were
charged with ordering indiscriminate artillery attacks, failing to prevent or punish their
subordinates for the torture and murder of Croatian Serb civilians and prisoners of war, and
the destruction of property.
ln this case the court was faced with difficulties in getting witnesses to testify , especially at
the early stage of the trial. Despite the use of a video link, some prosecution witnesses
refused to testify citing fears for their safety as the main reason. Others decided to do so only
after having been promised that their identity would be protected.
ln the end, 30 out of 74 of prosecution witnesses who testified did so through video link.
One-third of them were "endangered" witnesses residing in Croatia; video links were used
with the aim of protecting their identities from public disclosure.
ln May 2008 Rahim Ademi was acquitt ed and Mirko Norac was found guilty of some of the
charges and sentenced to seven years' imprisonment. As noted in section 2.2 above, on
appeal, the Supreme Court reduced the sentence of Mirko Norac to six years' imprisonment,
and upheld the acquittai of the other accused, Rahim Ademi.
Although in the Ademi-Norac case witness protection measures for those who agreed to
testify were used effectively , Amnesty International is concerned that the high number of
witnesses who were initially reluctant to testify points to the tact that there is still an
atmosphere in Croatia which is not conducive to prosecution of war crimes. Accordi ng to
Amnesty lnternat ional's research, the unresolved killing of Milan Levar had a strong negative
impact on the confidence of some witnesses to testify.
Amnesty International is also concerned about the intimidation of witnesses in another highprofile
war crimes case, in which Branimir Glavas is one of the accused.
Since 1995 Branimir Glavas has been an influent ial member of the Croatian Parliament. ln
2006 he split from the Croatian Democratic Union (Hr vatska Demokratska Zajednica - HDZ)
and created his own political party the Croatian Oemocratic Council of Slavonia and Baranya
(Hrvatski Demokratski Sabor S/avonije i Baranje, HDSSB).
Branimir Glavas, together with five other co-accused, was charged with unlawful detention,
ill-treatment and killing of Croatian Serb civilians in Osijek. He has been charged for
command responsibility, in his capacity as the local military leader, for having failed to
prevent his subordinates from committi ng war crimes as well as for ordering some of them.
Serious intim idation of witnesses in the case started at a very early stage of investigation . For
example, in December 2005 Anto Dapié, president of the Croatian Party of Rights (Hrvatska
Stranka Prava, HSP) and mayor of Osijek disclosed to the media a list of 19 witnesses
cooperating with investigators. Sorne of the potential witnesses consequently refused to
testify.
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ln 2006, with a view to reducing pressure on the witnesses, the case against Branimir Glavas
and the other co-accused was transferred to the Zagreb County Court. This, however, did not
prevent the first accused tram taking action which reportedly resulted in the intimidation of
witnesses. On several occasions in 2006 and 2007 Branimir Glavas published court records,
witnesses' statements and other evidence related to the case on his website. 36
ln February and in April 2008, Drago Hedi, a journalist tram Osijek, received death threats
tollowing his reports about Branimir Glavas's raie in the murders of Croatian Serbs.37 The
journalist later on refused to testify in the case giving the death treats as one of the reasons.
On 3 June 2008 Branimir Glavas disclosed the identity of the pratected witnesses in a news
programme at a local Television of Slavonija and Baranja.38
ln May 2009 , Branimir Glavas was convicted by the Zagreb County Court and sentenced to
10 years' imprisonment. The other co-accused were also convicted and sentenced to between
five and eight years in prison. Appeal praceedings before the Supreme Court in the case are
due to start in 2010.
Prior to the announcement of the verdict, Branimir Glavas fled to Bosnia and Herzegovina
where he has been living since. On his website he has continued to make statements about
the witnesses' raie in the proceedings and during the war in Croatia, having the effect of
intimidating witnesses.
Amnesty International is extremely concerned that neither the judge presiding over the case
nor the State Prosecutor's Office has investigated or addressed the intimidation of the
witnesses, other than by transferring the venue of the praceedings. The organization is
concerned not only about the threats themselves and the impact on this case but also that
the failure to take action has sent a message to potential witnesses in war crimes cases that
they risk not being protected, if they agree to corne forward. This may have a chilling effect
on the participation of witnesses in future trials.
Amnesty International is concerned that intimidation of witnesses and human rights
defenders also takes place at the local level in relation to war crimes cases where there is
little media attention, and the risks for witnesses may be greater. The threats received by
Vjera Solar, highlighted below, are an example.
Vjera Solar, the mother of 19-year-old student Ljubica Solar who was killed in Sisak on 17
September 1991, established her own NGO called the Civic Association against Violence
(Gradjanska Udruga Protiv Nasilja) in order to raise awareness and collect data on crimes
committed by members of the Croatian Army and police forces against Craatian Serbs and
other minorities . She has collected the names of 115 people who were killed or disappeared
in the Sisak area during the war. Together with other families of victims she has been
campaigning for the perpetrators of the crimes committed in Sisak to be brought to justice.
When the first war crimes trial of a member of the Croatian Army started in Sisak in 2009,
Vjera Solar started receiving death threats by telephone and by letters. 39 The authors of the
threats have so far evaded apprehension and Vjera Solar continues to live in fear for her
safety.
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FAILURE TO MAKE JUDGES,
PROSECUTORS AND LAWYERS FULLY
AWARE OF CROATIA'S
INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS IN THE
FIELD OF HUMAN RIGHTS,
PARTICULARLY THOSE ENSHRINED IN
THE CONVENTION
ln May 2004 the Committee recommended that the authorities of Croatia undertake
measures to "make judges, prosecutors and lawyers fui/y aware of Croatia's international
obligations in the field of human rights, particularly those enshrined in the Convention
against Torture".40
Based on its analysis of a substantial number of verdicts and indictments in war cri mes
proceedings as well as its observations of hearings in several war crimes proceedings,
Amnesty International is concerned that judges, prosecutors and lawyers often do not
demonstrate knowledge of Croatia 's international obligations in the field of human rights and
in particular those related to prosecution of torture and other ill-treatm ent in the context of
war.
ln some instances , while attending war crimes hearings, the organization observed the lack of
awareness of presiding judges of standards related to examination of traumatized witnesses
which resulted in exerting undue pressure on those witnesses by the defence counsel.
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Amnesty International also noted with concern that war crimes of sexual violence, as a form
of torture, were not included in the indictment, despite the fact that, according ta the
jurisprudence of the ICTY, acts described in the indictment would qualify ta be prosecuted as
such. 41
The organization is not aware of a single indictment or a verdict in a war crimes case which
has been brought in Croatian courts between 2005 and 2010 in which a reference was made
ta the text of the Convention against Torture. The organization has also noted with concern
that the jurisprudence of the ICTY about torture and other ill-treatment in a war context,
including rape, is rarely relied upon by judges, prosecutors and lawyers in Croatia.
1 Croatia: Conclusions and recommendations of the Committee against Torture, Thirty-second session, 3-
21 May 2004, CAT/C/CR/32/3, Paragraph 8(a).
2 Croatia, Conclusions and recommendations of the Committee against Torture, May 2004 , Paragraph
9(a).
3 For information about Amnesty lnternational's documentation of such war crimes , please see,
Yugoslavia: Torture and deliberate and arbi trary ki//ings in war zones, (Al Index: EUR 48 /26/91 ),
November 1991 ; Yugoslavia: Further reports of torture and deliber ate and arbitrary ki//ings in war zones,
(Al Index: EUR 48/13/92), March 199 2; and Croatia: A shadow on Croatia 's futur e: Continuing impunity
for war crimes and crimes against humanity , (Al Index: EUR 64/005 /2004).
• Naputak u svezi primjene odredbi 0KZRH i ZKP u predmetima ratni h zlocina - kriteriji (standardi) za
kazneni progon. 0rzavno 0dvjetnistvo Republik e Hrvatske. Broj: 0-4 108, 9 October 2008 .
5 Action Plan for the implementation of Instruct ions Number o-4108 related to work on war crim es cases.
The Chief State Prosecutor's Office, Number, A-223/08 -2, 12 December 2008.
6 Analysis of proceedings in war crimes cases at county courts of the Republic of Croatia from 20 05 to
2009. December 2009. Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Croatia. On file with Amnesty
International. Document received by email on 08 February 2010.
7 Official website of the Town of Sisak: httQ;f/www.sisak.hri_?pa~ id=7l 6
8 Amnesty International interview with the Head of the Police in Sisak, 23 March 2010 .
9 The estimate of 35 persons is quoted by the Croatian authorities including the State Prosecutor in
Sisak. The figure of 115 persons was given by Vjera Solar, president of the Civic Association against
Violence (Gradjanska Udruga Protiv Nasilja) . The number of 600 killed and disappeared people was
quoted by the Union of Serbs in the Republic of Croatia (Zajednica Srba u Republici HrvatskoJ) in their
criminal complaint filed in April 2007 with the County Prosecutor in Sisak.
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10 RH vs. lvica Miric. The accused was convicted and sentenced to nine years' imprisonment.
11 RH vs. Damir Raguz and Zeljko Skledar, K-D0-16/09.
12 RH vs. lvica Kosturin and Damir Vrbana,. K-D0-22/09.
13 The unresolved cases of enforced disappearance in of themselves may amount to torture with respect
to the disappeared persons but also in cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of families of the
disappeared who are notable to establish the fate of their beloved ones.
14 According to the Analysis of proceedings in war crimes cases at county courts of the Republic of
Croatia from 2005 to 2009. December 2009. Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Croatia, the County
Court in Sisak was the third busiest court in the country with 13 judgments in which 16 persons were
convicted.
15 Letter of 23 February 2010 received by Amnesty International !rom Mr Mladen Bajic, the Chief State
Prosecutor.
16 Amnesty International interview with the State County Prosecutor in Sisak, 23 March 2010.
17 Croatia: 2009 Progress Report, European Commission, 14 October 2009, p. 9.
18 Croatia: Concluding observations of the Human Rights Committee , CCPR/C/HRV/CO/l., 29 October 2009,
para. 10.
19 RH vs. Rahim Ademi and Mirko Norac, 1 Kz 1008/08-13.
20 RH vs. Mihaj/o Hrastov, Ill Kz 12/09-10.
21 Croatia: 2009 Progress Report, European Commission, 14 October 2009, p. 9.
22 Croatia: Conclusions and recommendations of the Committee against Torture. 3-21 May 2004 ,
Paragraph 9(a).
23 Zakon o obveznim odnosima. Sluzbeni lis/ SFRJ 29/78 together with later amendments.
24 The Act on the Responsibility for Damage Caused by the Acts of Terrorism and Public Demonstrations
and the Act on the Responsibility of the Republi c of Croatia for Damage Caused by Members of Croatian
Armed and Police Forces during the Home/and War.
25 Monitoring of War Crimes Trials. Report for 2009. Centre for Peace Non-Violence and Human Rights
Osijek, Documenta - Centre for Dealing with the Pas!, Civic Committee for Human Rights. February
2010. p. 32.
26 Ana Jelic vs. RH; Stojanka Trivkanovic vs. RH; Dragica Ferenc, Aleksander and Robert Trivkanovic vs.
RH; Evica, Mirjana and Desa Djapa vs. RH; Dijana Pajagic request for out-of-court settlement; Vjera,
Jovan and Djorde Solar vs. RH; Zahida, Radivoje and Dobrivoje Martinov ic vs. RH; Bozica Perkovic,
Mirjana and Branis/ava Bozic vs. RH; Milja and Petar Bojinovic vs. RH; Mi/os, Nada and Dragica
Crljenica vs. RH; Radojka, Damir and Javie Pajic vs. RH; Ruzica Vucinic vs. RH; Dragica Kladar vs. RH;
Dusanka Miljevi c vs. RH; Mara, Milan , Milena, Dragan and Ruza Kragulj vs. RH; Kate Martinov ic, Branka
Bjelic and Branko Martinovic vs. RH; Mi/ka, Dusko, Dunjo, and Danijel Bekic vs. RH; Sofija Bekic vs.
RH; Anka and Djordje Simic vs. RH; Danica, Nika/a and Marija Todorovic vs. RH; Ve/jko Cakalo vs. RH;
Jasenka Borojevic, Edita Mihic and Lahorka Marie vs. RH.
27 The only compensation case in which compensation was granted by the Municipal Court in Sisak is the
one filed by Milja and Petar Bojinovic vs. RH. The case is now on appeal before the County Court in
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Sisak.
28 Principle 9 of the Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Righi to a Remedy and Reparation for
Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious Violations of International
Humanitarian Law; Article 2 of the Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and
Abuse of Power.
29 Vjera Solar, Jovan So/ar, Djorde Solar vs. RH, Municipal Court of Sisak, 18/12/2007. Presuda i
Rjesenje Ill P-1323/04. The Municipal Court of Sisak ordered the applicants to pay HKN 74,580
(approximately € 10,280). ln another case regarding the killing of l oran Trivkanovic the applicants were
ordered to pay H K N 71,480.
30 See for example: the Decision of the Sisak County Court of 22 March 2007, case GZ-1200/06 in
which the application for compensation was rejected and the Decision of the Sisak Municipal Court of 14
May 2008, OVR-1112/08 which ordered the seizure of the applicant's property.
31 Croatia: Conclusions and recommendations of the Committee against Torture, 3-21 May 2004 ,
Paragraph 9(b).
32 Prosecution's Application for an Orcier Pursuant to Rule 54 bis Directing the Government of the
Republic of Croatia to Produce Documents or Information, with public and confidential Appendices, 13
June 2008. 33 Letter dated 12 November 2009 from the President of the International Tribunal for the Prosecution
of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the
Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, addressed to the President of the Security Council.
S/2009/589, Annex Il. Report of Serge Brammertz, Prosecutor of the International Tribunal for the
Former Yugoslavia, provided to the Security Council under paragraph 6 of Security Council resolution
1534 (2004), para. 40.
34 Croatia: Concluding observations of the Human Rights Committee, CCPR/C/HRV/C0/2, 29 October
2009. para. lO(e).
35 Croatia: Conclusions and recommendations of the Committee against Torture, 3-21 May 2004,
Paragraph 9(c}.
36 The documents are still available on-line on the official website of the accused:
h1l.R.://www.branim1 rglavas.co111 Accessed on 29 March 2010.
37 Amnesty International. Croatia: Briefing for the Human Rights Committee on the Republic of Croatia,
Index: EUR 64/00 1/2009, p. 12.
38 Ferai Tribune, Gospodar Fascikla, 8 June 2008.
http://f eral .med iaturtle .comilookiweekly 1 /artic le_tisak. tpl 7 Id Language= 7 & ldPublication= 1 & Nr
Article= l 8239&Nrlssue= l 184&NrSection= l&STl=text&ST __ T 1 =teme&ST ... AS 1 = l&ST _max= 1
39 Prijetnje zbog traganja za ubicama sisackih Srba, Radio Free Europe:
httg;//www.slobodnaevrQQa.org/col&#039;)_tent /sisak vjera solar/1504080.html
4° Croatia: Conclusions and recommendations of the Committee against Torture, 3-21 May 2004,
Paragraph 9(d}.
41 lndictment in the case of RH vs. Damir Raguz and Zeljko Skledar, K-D0-16/09, in which one of the
victims was found dead, naked and with her legs spread wide in a room upstairs of the house where
allegedly she was brought by the two accused.
Amnesty International April 2010 Index: EUR 64/001/2010
326
Amnesty International
International Secretariat
Peter Benenson House
1 Easton Street
London WC 1 X DOW
www.amnesty.org
AMNESTY
INTERNATIONAL
ANNEX74
Y outh Initiative for Human Rights Report, "Against
Immunity of Power: prosecution of war crimes in
Croatia", March 2011

329
330
Contents:
1 . Introduction
2. Methodology
3. Partiality of lnvestigative Bodies and Courts
3.1. Partiality of lnvestigative Bodies
3.1.1. Recommendation of the Initiative
3.2. Partiality of Courts
3.2.1. County Courts
3.2.2. Supreme Court
3.2.3. Constitutional Court
4. Examples of lnsufficiently lnvestigated and lnadequately Prosecuted
Crimes
4.1. Murder of Serbian Civilians in Vukovar in 1991
4.2 . Murder of Serbian Civilians in Sisak in 1991 and 1992
4.3. Evacuation of Villages in the vicinity of Pozega in 1991
4.4. Crimes in Zrnovnica in 1992
4.5. Military Prison «Lora», 1992 -1997
4.6 . Military and Security Action «Flash»
4.7 . Military and Security Operation «Storm»
5. Non-prosecuting or lnadequate Prosecuting of Powerful Military and
Political Personnel
5.1 . Vladimir Seks
5.2. Ivan Vekic
5.3. Djuro Brodarac
5.4 . Karl Gorinsek
5.5 . Vinko Barbarie
5.6 . Darko Milinovic
5.7 . Davor Domazet
5.8. Ivan Jamjak
5.9. Mate Lausic
6. Conclusion
3
4
5
5
6
7
7
9
10
10
11
12
14
15
16
17
19
22
23
24
24
24
25
25
26
26
26
27
331
f7ave their hist ori an s,
t.flp +•;;;t'tc><~ f'J if;;,;, h•1?/f. <'h ·;:1ff ,,;;/it1;,;;;-,/,, rCJt'(~tf·rv "1t' ·7c v)'f(J;. ,:,.(·,·, , i .... .,. l { A <..,~ .. ) ,./ .1 ~ • , -.;..., > ,• { , < . .... ) , , (, < < .... [ ,; > f."lJ ...,_,. <.,, ) . f ' t,.,- f {, l_ ,,,..., ,':J A
- /\frican Provcrb
1 . 1 ntroduction
A fuctional judicial system represents one of the fundamental mechanisms of
protection of human rights. ln post-conflict societies, such as the society in
Croatia, war crimes trials have special significance. lmpunity of war crimes
creates an atmosphere of mistrust in the institutions. ln this sense, crimes
which have been committed and the perpetrators of which were protected by
the authorities are especially dangerous. The atmosphere of not prosecuting
criminals, as well as their hiding behind functions of power and authority,
leads to the increase of fear in those groups of people who do not enjoy this
type of protection. However, by protecting the perpetrators, those crimes
become crimes of the state, and the guilt collective. These cases create a defacto
state of inequality of citizens and undermine the concept of
individualized guilt. Such situations are impermissible in democratic societies
and societies which strivefor democracy.
332
2. Methodology
This report is the result of two years work during which the activists of the
Youth Initiative for Human Rights (hereinafter the Initiative) have collected
statements of potential war crimes witnesses, as well as interviewed dozens
of family members of victims and persons who had themselves been victims
of crimes. During the preparation of this report, the Initiative had conducted a
series of interviews with activists of human rights organizations in the
country and abroad, representatives of domestic · and international
institutions, representatives of judicial institutions, former members of
military and police forces, as well as journalists. Previous reports of domestic
and international human rights organizations, domestic and foreign
institutions and inter-governmental organizations dealing with the subject of
processing war crimes, have also been used in the preparation of this report.
Aside from statements given to the activists of the Initiative and a number of
documents in the posession of the Initiative, all other information and
documents on the basis of which this report was made, are available to the
public. Parts of texts included in this report have previously been published in
publications and newsletters of the Initiative.
The aim of this report is to map the basic problems which disable the proper
and impartial functioning of investigative and judicial institutions in the
Republic of Croatia, as well as to point out the ever-present problem of
political pressure on the judiciary, which disables an efficient and impartial
functioning of the judicial system. ln this sense, the report will not present all
the problems which have an effect on the Croatian judiciary in the domain of
prosecuting war crimes, since the recent reports of other organizations have
already defined certain problem areas1• Furthermore, this report does not deal
with processing war crimes at the International Criminal Court for former
Yugoslavia (ICTY) in the Hague.
The report consists of three parts. The first part states, through several
examples of the practice of prosecuting war crimes, the examples of partiality
and lack of professionalism of investigative and judicial bodies on the issue of
banishing ethnie Croats as perpetrators of war crimes. lt also contains the
recommendation of the Initiative for improving the present situation. The
second part contains the analysis of several cases of war crimes committed in
isolation or within larger actions of the forces of the Republic of Croatia,
which have not had their proper epilogues in courts. The third part points to
the problems of the still present influence of politics on the judicial system, in
\Nithi n the !e9is!tülve frarrH:~- nnd Uît:re fore this repor t doüs :·1o t denr \vith this iss ue, Sevtvaf
or~Janiz.ation~; have po inted to piob!cr ns ln th (; vvork of t <.:: ;.;1,nd the Stal:c, of
the Hepub!ic of C>·or:rha on the natior1nî ieveL and the r~Jf o rr} thk:; report focuse ~; on th e
probterns ln tf-1e ·vork ot the~:e i.nstitutic>ns 011 t!·1c local !c:)Vt A, ·r r~e repo rt a!so ir·1c!tic·les the
~<no t corrected rn istak.es-;, nf the-se l>cHfns irnrnecr ately nft er ~:;(nrH:~ oJ i:!1e crin1c8 \:VDre
cornrni tted (û,9, se(1 texh, on the tvlliit:,ry and PoliC8 Operaticn <..;torrn ,, (4.l) and aim es in
Zrnovn ica in 199? (4,4 ), Ho\v,N er, ca3es vvi, :ch point to inadecwate (onga9enwn t of
invHstl9ative instH:ut io ns on
333
the sense of avoiding criminal prosecution and impunity as a consequence of
either complete lack of investigation or inadequate processing. The final part
aise contains a list of powerful persans in politics and military, for which there
are indications that they had, or might have had a part in committing some of
the war crimes.
3. Partiality of lnvestigative Bodies and Courts
This part of the report presents conclusions reached by the activists of the
Initiative through analyzing the procedure of processing war crimes in the
courts of the Republic of Croatia. The Initiative had reached these
conclusions primarily through meetings with representatives of the
authorities that deal with prosecution of cases of war crimes. Further, through
reports of organizations which directly follow war crimes trials 2 and the media,
as well as through statements of victims of these crimes, as well as their
family members.
3.1. Partiality of lnvestigative Bodies
Prosecution of crimes committed by Croatian forces suffers extreme political
pressure everywhere in Croatia. A significant part of the public, especially in
local communities, supports in various ways the investigated, accused
persans or persans in trial for war crimes3 , while victims and witnesses are
considered to be lasers and traitors. The pressure of the public, and even
more often local powerful persans on institutions is quite common. Often
even the persans from the authority structures use available means to
negatively affect the investigations and court processes. This part of the
report deals both with the State Attorney's Office (DORH) as the body of
prosecution and with the police as the body in charge of investigating crimes
and the perpetrators.
Sisak4: Investigations of the murder of civilians of Serbian nationality in Sisak
have been going on for years, and some organizations have collected and
provided information on these cases to the investigative bodies5• The County
State Attorney in Sisak did net conduct these investigations seriously, and
the Sisak police was not requested to get seriously involved in the
investigation of these cases. An expert level of work is supported exclusively
by organizations of the civil society, and somewhat by family members of
victims, who have in numerous cases already lest hope that the institutions
will adequately respond to these severe crimes, committed almost 20 years
age. The County State Attorney in Sisak, Stipe Vrdoljak, is the persan on
~, /\mne .sty lntf:trnational: [)cc-uni enta. c;ontor in r Poac(J~ f'-~un ·-vink:ncn and l .. ·!un·1~JJ1 H\qhts:
Civîc Co ,nrnittee for Hurnan Hî;1hts etc.
' Often ttirou9h coliectin9 1r10:1r:y lor lho düfense cf imfü :\é'CJ pei-ions in vcuioi.rn soorts.
cu!tumi anc.1 rmtertainrnent event:c:.
inform nton on the case (4.2.).
s E.Q. the Serbian cornr nunit.y in C:toata .
334
whom the majority of the responsibility for such a state lies6• Djuro Brodarac
who, at the time of the crimes was the chief of the Police Directorate in Sisak,
has since performed a series of political functions at the local and national
level, and everything points to the tact that he is still well connected within
governmental structures. ln this sense, a most interesting tact is that the
current Minister of Justice in the Government of the Republic of Croatia,
Drazen Bosnjakovic, acted as a Secretary of the Sisak-Moslavina County 7
from 1993 to 1997, while Brodarac was the Prefect. Recognizing the problem
in the work of the County State Attorney in Sisak, Mladen Bajic, the State
Attorney General, proposed the transfer of this case to Osijek. Through this
action, the State Attorney General gave an example of good practice in
avoiding political pressure exerted on the investigations by the members of
authority in the local community and local institutions. The decision of the
State Attorney General to transfer this case is important also because the
County State Attorney's office in Osijek also dealt with the case of Branimir
Glavas, who has already been convicted for torture and murder of civilians in
Osijek, a case very similar to the one in Sisak.
Zrnovnica 8: Investigations on the murder of the Gasparevic couple, as well as
mining of private abjects in Zrnovica gave no significant results. Moreover,
the investigation started by the retired Police lnspector llija Grubisic was
seriously obstructed. Severa! years later an official investigation was started,
but it also yielded no significant findings. The reason for the poor conduct of
these investigations can be found in the Split Police, which exerts almost no
effort to uncover the circumstances of these crimes. ln an independent
investigation, the Initiative has reached two conclusions about this
investigation: on one hand, the perpetrators of these crimes were most likely
the members of the Croatian Army from the Zrnovica rocket base and the
members of the local police, and on the other hand that the former
commander of the Zrnovica rocket base, the retired Colonel of the Croatian
Army Vinko Barbarie himself tried to obstruct the investigation 9• This case is
different from the one in Sisak in that the County State Attorney office in Split
has made an effort to find the perpetrators of the crimes.
3.1.1. Recommendation of the Initiative
The Initiative supports the decision of the State Attorney General in the case
of crimes in Sisak. Transfering the cases to authorities in other counties,
which have previously shown better capacities for solving similar cases (in
accordance with the Article 12 of the Law on lmplementation of the Statute of
International Criminal Tribunal and Prosecution of Crimes Against
International Humanitarian Law), represents a good model which can ensure
' Sou thu oif icial bioqrap:,y of Dra 7.ün Pos njdkovic on the
Hepubîic ot C>oata,
" Sec the text on ti,e crimes in Zrn,,vn1cu in '. U:J2 ('+A) for :noru ,nfo nnation on lhe case.
'·' Sr~e the art C:e iY-J Vl:Jch riir on S Jan uary 201 1.
U !ed ,,(Nf:)podobn i znatizc:jnik,, i·The (i
335
impartial investigations and remove or at least reduce the influence of local
powerful persans from the army or the authorities. The State Attorney's Office
should closely follow investigations of war crimes and apply this model in all
cases where similar problems are detected. So far, this mechanism has been
applied in 12 more cases. The Ministry of Internai Affairs did not show the
effort that the State Attorney of the Republic of Croatia put in10, and on this
occasion we would point to the tact that the Ministry should sanction the
members of the Police who inadequately investigate war crimes. Apart from
sanctions, the Ministry also has the possibility of rotating police investigators,
which could in some cases enable a solution to the problem of partiality. The
Ministry of Internai Affairs must be aware of the danger of partiality in leading
investigations against their (former) colleagues.
3.2. Partiality of Courts
Courts have shown a propensity toward partiality in trials of former members
of Croatian armed forces. At a nuber of courts, there were cases which
represent examples of partiality. This problem is the most prominent in courts
of small local communities (Sisak, Gospic, Karlovac, Sibenik). The problem of
partiality is manifested in different ways; in some cases there is an explicit
«taking of sides», and in other cases establishing a court practice which
searches for excuses in various political and social circumstances, and the
implementation of this practice results in partiality in the sense of a different
treatment of opposed sides in the conflict. This section of the report will
expose the above mentioned problem through several examples.
3.2.1. County Courts
County courts in small communities do not have an established good practice
in war crimes trials, and suffer from practically a complete lack of
implementation of international standards regarding processing cases of war
crimes. lt is also symptomatic that judges have a high number of overturned
verdicts in the Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia. Especially
problematic are the small county courts, while the courts in macro-regional
centers (Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, Osijek), although having significant deficiencies,
have regardless developed a practice which satisfies at least the basic
standards in processing war crimes.
Karlovac: The County Court in Karlovac lead the case against the accused
Mihajlo Hrastov for the criminal act against humanity and international law of
illegally shooting and wounding the enemy, because he, according to the
verdict of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia, killed 13 and
wounded two captured soldiers of the Yugoslav People's Army on the Korana
bridge in Krlovac, in September 1991. The very tact that this process has been
lead in the County Court in Karlovac on three different occasions during
several years (more than 14), as well as the tact that the Supreme Court
overturned these verdicts every time, and finally reviewed the case itself and
336
reached a conviction, points to an exceptionally poor leading of the case.
Apart from fundamental deficiencies which caused the Supreme Court to
overturn the verdicts of the County Court, the organizations following the
trial also noted the problem of «loud comments» from the audience11 , or more
precisely, the members of war veteran associations and other supporters of
the accused Hrastov. The court must do everything in order to avoid such
incidents, since they have a negative effect on the feeling of security of the
representatives of victims, witnesses and others, and therefore bring into
question the truthfulness and completeness of statements, and therefore
challenge the impartiality of the court and judges.
Sisak: The County Court in Sisak has lead only a few procedures against
former members of Croatian forces during a number of years. ln all these
cases, the partiality of the court toward the accused was evident. This was
evident not only through the implementation of mitigating circumstances
regarding the accused members of the Croatian Army, but also in the
treatment of witnesses. Namely, the witnesses of Serbian ethnicity were
repeatedly considered unreliable when testifying as witnesses for the accused
Serbs, and on the other hand the witnesses of Croatian ethnicity were
repeatedly considered reliable when accusing the Serbs as perpetrators.
Finally, one of the most significant problems of the court in Sisak is the
continued insisting on processing members of the Serbian forces in absentia.
One of the most evident examples of the partiality of the County Court in
Sisak is the verdict reached by the court council presided by judge Snjezana
Mrkoci in November 2010, which discards the indictment for war crimes
against civilians regarding four members of the Croatian Army: Zeljko Selina,
Dejan Milic, Ivan Grgic and Zdravko Plesec. This verdict is problematic for at
least two formai reasons; first, because it states that this matter had already
been resolved, even though the implementation of the Pardon Law is in this
case without legal basis, and second that the evidence procedure was
conducted and a discussion opened, and only then did the verdict drop the
charges. The judge did not find it controversial that two perpetrators did not
even deny shooting at the victims (mother, daughter, father and their
neighbour). The verdict is also diametrically opposed to the stand of the
Constitutional Court in the Reihl Kir case, where the Constitutional Court
took a clear stand that the implementation of the Pardon Law cannot be an
excuse for implementing the ne bis in idem rule, nor as a reason for reaching a
verdict which rejects the charges, considering that when implementing the
Pardon Law, the court does not discuss guilt 12 . However, explicit partiality is
also expressed by the words of judge Mrkoci herself, who stated during the
explanation of the verdict: «I am very sorry I have to try the members of the
Croatian Army for the crimes we are accustomed to be done by the opposite
side, especially now when we are lighting candies for Vukovar.» 13•
'' See the Wf::bpage of the Gentry fo:-f\ ::;ace, f\Jun violon ce ,im l Hurnan !Tg:.ts .
:;; See the dcc,slon of the Co:,~;titutiona l Court U 111//91/ 190 / .
'' Difierent rneciîa repo:'ted on t1is. Thr1 ex.;;1ct lor rnui2 1ic•n has heen ta.ken frorn the
01-s1anizations that rnonitor \/r a.r crirnf ; case:>
337
3.2.2. Supreme Court
The main problem in prosecuting war crimes in the Supreme Court, a problem
completely integrated in its practice, is granting mitigating circumstances for
the defendants from the Croatian forces, and in some cases their widening, in
the sense of reducing the sentence. Primarily, those are granting mitigating
circumstances for participating and/or volunteering for the «Homeland War»,
or for exceptional contribution to the country's defense. lt is obvious that a
person had participated in the war if they are on trial for war crimes, but taking
sides in the conflict and therefore making excuses for someone's crime from
the viewpoint of justness or injustness of the war itself, proclaiming the
context of the war as defensive or aggressive, the court takes sides politcally
and gives a certain political and legal interpretation of historical events.
Proportionally to that taking of si des, the court diminishes the crime itself, i.e.
justifies it. ln the same sense, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia
has on several occasions, when determining the sentence, taken into account
that the defendant had recieved medals14• Also, the Supreme Court of the
Republic of Croatia also grants «homeland fervor» to be the basis of
mitigating circumstance15• Although fervor/passion is traditionally taken into
account in criminal trials, in this case it must not be taken into account
because the basis is completely different, and an additional problem is that
fervor does not depend on political or moral correctness of the cause the
persons are fighting for, and therefore can be applied to any side in the
confrontation, as well as terrorist acts, if they were committed with the aim of
creating or maintaining the «homeland» that the defendant is fighting for. The
Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia grants as mitigating circumstance
in certain actions of Croatian forces, confirming the decisions of lower courts,
that in some cases the actions were «just» and/or «legitimate». An action
during which war crimes were committed cannot be called just. The legitimacy
of the action means only that it was legally and militarily permissible16 .
However, that does not mean that in those actions it is less problematic to
commit a crime than in an any other type of action. lt is especially worrying
that courts take into account as an aggravating circumstance neither the lack
of remorse of the perpetrators, nor demeanor during the trial. On the contrary,
as already stated, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia will widen the
range of mitigating circumstance and in that way reduce the sentence
regardless of the demeanor of the perpetrators before, during and after the
trial 17•
·
1f. Sec~ ver(iict of the Suprcrne c;oud <Yf the ot z:t'oatia ((:ase Nu~ ~ l<Z 52:')/0/--9)
vvhich conf!rrns thP vHrdici of ·l/H! c:;ounty C>:;ci(t in tu ·rornis!r1v f\H)e( ~ 0nd tf'p,3
conviction ot Fïüdo fv1avgus vvas 1Y1odifi(:;d,
~·-; Soe verdict of tr.H3 f..)uprGnH:; C:c-un of thn H<:::put/ic o-f (~\"'oatia in the cttse Adorn/f\Jorac (i\Jo: i
K:z î 008/08 1 ).
'(' Il ls rnost often cases of protecfri,J c:vilians froni nann,
'.-;-See \/erdict of the Suprerne (Jourt t)i the
Kz 1008/UB 1 ).
338
3.2.3. Constitutional Court
The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia (CCRC) sometimes
functions in practice as a political body, and not as an institution meant to
protect the basic human rights. The reason for that can in part be found in the
tact that the procedure of electing judges of the Constitutional Court is
started by a Board of the Croatian Parliament in charge of the Constitution.
Such an institutional solution enables election based on convenience, and
not extreme legal expertise. A striking example of this claim is the naming and
repeated re-election of mandate of constitutional judge Vice Vukojevic, who is
publicly known to be an extreme Croatian nationalist 18. The CCRC overturned
the conviction of Mihajlo Hrastov in the Supreme Court and returned it to be
re-tried. A reason for such a decision of the CCRC was found in the omission
of the Supreme Court to publicly announce the verdict in the case in
question. This decision of the CCRC would not be worrying, were it not for
the tact that such a decision caused the release of a war criminal for formai
reasons, and at the same time represents an insult to the victims, their
families, and survivors, and this decision coming from a court supposed to
protect human rights and not primarily the procedural rules of criminal
procedure. By this decision, the CCRC had clearly aligned itself on the side of
the perpetrators and on the detriment of victims and once again showed its
partiality and political convenience. The CCRC has abolished the verdicts of
other courts for certain technical reasons in another cases also. One of those
reasons was that the presiding of the court council which delivered the verdict
was previously in a non-judicial council which decided on the detainment of
the defendant. Having these two cases in mind, media speculations 19 that this
is a case of «opening the possibility » for abolishing the verdict to Branimir
Glavas, convicted of war crimes in Osijek, should be taken seriously. Namely,
a member of the court council which sentenced Glavas also participated in a
non-judicial decision on detainment.
4. Examples of lnsufficiently lnvestigated and lnadequately Prosecuted
Crimes
This part of the report shows several examples of crimes of the Croatian
forces which have not been processed or have been inadequately processed.
The crimes listed in this part of the report are in different stages of the
process, and represent only illustrative examples of crimes which are
inapropriately treated by the justice system. There are many more crimes,
similar in many ways, which have not had their epilogues in court, and were
not included in this report.
Croafü1n Delense Counci! hèf1h oH:cial, r.:onait iE,s hr thcy ;e vvho tff, E! 1,vcrôs
!n speech instead ot Croatian c-nes. rtnd puh!icly st?tte;.J that the biqqest l Jstasha
concen tration carnp ,Ja::;enovac wa::; nn t::y Jov,;s 1!1cn1sc!vcis
' 1! E,g, see article by Vadi rnir Mati:anic pu i)k,:,c,i in ,,S1obocJ11a Dalrnacija" frorn :u May
201 Cl, titled «!z proceclu ralnog razioqa suclcnirc-: O'.',jcr)kom ratno rn serifu rnogl o l> se vratiti na
po(:etnk" [«Th~1 trial of t', e Osjok war si,E!riH couk: bE1 retun,e cJ te ,etd ai due to '" technicai
reason j ,
339
4.1. Murder of Serbian Civilians in Vukovar in 1991
Vukovar is a city in eastern Croatia, the center of the Vukovar-Srijem County.
The river Danube which flows by Vukovar represents the state border with the
Republic of Serbia.
During a course of several months, the Initiative had collected statements of
family members of persans killed, murdered or dissappeared from the Vukovar
area in 1991, as well as persans affected in any other way. Through
converstations with these persans, but also on the basis of the
documentation of international organizations and the CIA, as well as the
documentation of the institutions of the Republic of Croatia at the time, the
Initiative has reached a conclusion that in Vukovar in 1991 there was a certain
type of systematic terror over citizens of Serbian nationality. Witness
statements collected by the Initiative indicate that these crimes occured at the
latest form early April 1991. However, most kidnappings and murders were
committed in June, July and August.
These crimes can be divided into two groups: on one hand, destruction
(mining and arson) most often of non-residential abjects of citizens of
Serbian nationality, and on the other hand, murders or arrests of persans who
subsequently dissapeared.
Demolition of abjects almost always happened at night 20 • Sorne persans
reported these cases to the police, and possess documentation from the
investigation. ln at least one case, the.State Attorney dismissed the complaint
of a bar owner, whose property was destroyed in early May 1991. The same
persan requested the right to restoration in court, but was denied with the
explanation that there were no war actions in Vukovar at that time, and
therefore no basis for restoration. The petitioner was ordered to pay court
tees, in accordance with the Law on Civic Procedures.
Dissappearances and murders also mostly, but not exclusively, happened at
night or the evening hours. The pattern was the same in most cases; several
armed persans (4-6 according to witness accounts, in masked uniforms or in
army pants and black shirts corne to a house or (less frequently) to the
workplace of citizens of Serbian nationality and take them to be interviewed.
Witnesses guess that they were taken to the Territorial Defense. ln most
ceses, these persans were taken away consentually and were never seen alive
again. While the bodies of some have been discovered, a large number of
them is listed as missing. ln rarer cases, when civilians refused to go with the
armed men, they were murdered in their own homes.
Family members of victims acted differently after such events, but the majority
reported the disappearances to the army or the police. These crimes have not
been processed, and persans who filed petititons for compensation of nonmaterial
damage were rejected and charged court tees.
;·,:Trie lnitati ve has recordeci no c;:iscs of dvinq the day,
340
ln late 2010 Tomislav Mercep, the secretary for national defense in the
National Defense Office of the Vukovar Municipality in the period when these
crimes were committed, was detained. ln September 1991 in Zagreb Fair he
forms a unit which would later be popularly called «Merceps» or «Mercep's
Fleet of Death»21 • Mercep was staying with his unit on the territory of Pakrac
and Pakrac field, within the former UN Sector West, where he is connected to
committing war crimes. Except the Pakrac area, Mercep and the members of
his unit are connected to crimes committed in Vukovar, Gospic and Zagreb.
According to available and public documentation of institutions of the
Republic of Croatia, the then political leadership knew about the crimes in
Vukovar, but they were not adequately sanctioned. Moreover, Mercep himself
was named deputy minister in the Ministry of Internai Affairs of the Republic
of Croatia in 1992.
Mercep is currently in detention, and the State Attorney is preparing an
indictment against him for the above mentioned cases of war crimes. His
superiors are still to be processed, who knew about these crimes and failed to
act, as well as the direct perpetrators of these crimes.
4.2. Murder of Serbian Civilians in Sisak in 1991 and 1992
Sisak is a town situated 52 kilometers south-east of Zagreb, on the rivers
Odra, Sava and Kupa. lt is the adminitrative center of the Sisak-Moslava
County.
Murder of a large number of Serb civilians in Sisak in 1991 and 1992
represents one of the largest and most important unresolved cases, whose
victims recieved no legal or moral protection of the state, nor material
compensation. On the contrary, all survivors who sued the state for
compensating damages of losing an immediate family member, were charged
court fees22 , which the victims had to pay according to the Law on Civic
Procedures as the losing side. Almost all cases of this type were resolved for
the benefit of the state because of the already mentioned non-existance of a
valid verdict for the criminal act of war crimes, or at least murder, which would
:· 1 See article hy !)ûn is Ku
<-· BancHéu podrska (atno q zk)èinc;J~; [<~
the verdict ci the Muriicipa :
c;ourt fn [;1sa.k. in the cast_) of rnur::.iet o1 Solar), ;\ reccnt Ot)cision of tr'lo C)overnn1t~nt
of the Hcpublic of C>odla stalrn, J w: ël pnd of tl,e dcbl 1,u to rx, p.:üci by surviv inq
vlct irns vvns vv(Ht1n otf thH srrne, r:h;cision vvritüs off the dt~bt of thOSij vvhn
t ,at the two laws wh!ch
in 1 996 Fic Artcl c 4 80 oî the La,v on
C();· : pletc:ly the
of iawsu:ts 1V'lrü passet on:y then. Name'y.
vvas CDLC>)Hc:d; ½vhîch rcqu iated this type
of l:11.,vsuits, ;nd in 2003 the L,1w on th ,l :·e.:,pon:A.)il:ty oî U1e HepuhliC cf Croatia for the
N\ l ·1 1 VJefc: passe<~
341
determine the circumstances of the death. According to some allegations, to
which witness reports point to23 , as well as witness statements from certain
court procedures24, reports of the media25 , reports of non-governmental and
international organizations26 , the chain of command responsibility in this case
goes from immediate perpetrators to the former head of the Police Directorate
Sisak Djuro Brodarac and his associates, and probably even further into the
authority structure of the war government of Franjo Greguric. There is no
doubt that at the time there was an atmosphere of general persecution of
citizens of the Republic of Croatia of Serbian nationality, created by the
former Croatian authorities. War crimes against civilians in Sisak are only a
sample of a more widespread pattern. Even though according to official police
records there were around 40 Serb civilian victims in Sisak, some sources,
including the Serb Community in Croatia, point to a number of more than 600
mostly Serbian civilians murdered by police, military and para-military units
during 1991 and 1992.
Responsibility for not processing should be found also in the actions of the
State attorney of the Republic of Croatia, whose re-elected (in late 2009)
County State Attorney in the Sisak-Moslava County Stipe Vrdoljak does not
give much significance to punishing people responsible for this crime, which
is evident from the statement by the County State Attorney in Sisak from 30
September 2009, which rejects the complaints by the Serb Community in
Croatia and the Serb National Party based on previously conducted surveys,
and did not open an investigation against persons accused for these crimes
by the applicants.
Crimes in Sisak, which included molesting, torture and murder of civilians,
occured in places locally known by as «Gunpowder room», «ORA», and
«Jodno», mostly during 1991 and 1992. The direct perpetrators of the crimes
are alleged to be the members of the «Handzar division»27 , commanded by
Ekrem Mandai and members of the «Wolves» unit, commanded by Zarko Pesa.
The criminal complaint filed by the Serb Community in Croatia on 27 April
2007 28 , which was rejected by the County State Attorney, and the documents
of Croatian security and intelligence agencies which reached the public, list
:,? E.u. Viem Sobr. rnot her of the rnurderüd Lju bio,, Solai ; 7ur:cn tv1iodmq und ,Jnmrn
Horojevic. widov;s v1hose iiusi)nr:d ,; wern V!k,c1 bec iu~,e of U1eir na:ion:1lity ,n Sisah in 199 ,.
?4 tn the-case for cornpe nsaUnq dan1a90:) for the rnu rcier of bica So!sr! tes tirnonies \Nere
qiven on the rnvclers o1 civ:iirws ,n Sis2k ic, 199 1 hy ,,.,,__us' , v cv Vic!ovic, v1ho w2s tempom
crinvnis the pres icJent of the Supc,::1me Court of Hw Henuh 1:c; of Croak1 anci Petar î'-lovoselac.
former presidcnt cri tho crirninn: sector of Fie StmrerrF) Court cf the Republic of Cro atia.
:s E.g. ivanka Uzelac at tt 16 tirne. ,.t3 a 1ournal1sL i',acl nf onnati on on cr:tica: events in Sisak.,
about which shc wrote and publi cly tc:;dicd.
26 Center for Peace. Non-vio!enc:e nacl Hurnan H19hts, Civic Co:rrn:ttee for Hurnan Hi9h1s,
Docu nH;nta., OESS are so1r1c of the non---qo vcrnrn enta! and irr1>.:; rn,aiionr.;1J organizatons in
c:;rontia vvhich systernntîcn !ly deal \:Vi-U1 i:\'1EI proi) lern of vvar crirnes and thGir processinq . 0.nd
whi c11 have n?ported on the cases :n question.
;(· «!··tancLzar division~:- vvr1::> d reser \10 und : of the Ml n istry of !nlernul r~Jfairs in th e Sisak.-
Mot:;iava County, compri'.; cd ot rno:,ti v fvîus!irn vu:unte et's wl10 ,r,·ivw~ to the territo rf of ~;isak
frorn ist,a (in the vic1nity oï i..ab1n}, and ciclcd untii lëllc 1 ~)92.
)d ·rhis. crirnina! corn plaint does rot (epr'eS(/ît an officia! recun.·J: but Dives stron g ind ications
thïouqh nstln~1 t!1e narnes of the vict;rns .
342
the names of persans from the mentioned special police units of the Ministry
of Internai Affairs, directly responsible for the murder of Serbian civilians in
Sisak. Their direct superiors were Ivan Bobetko, the former president of the
Crisis center for the North Sector in Sisak; Josip Brajkovic, former president
of the Croatian Democratic Union in Sisak; Djuro Brodarac, former chief of
Police Directorate in Sisak and his deputy Vladimir Milankovic who had, as
indicated by numerous circumstances, along with other known and unknown
persans, dealt with both organizing and covering up crimes, with the aim of
banishing the Serb citizens from Sisak and the immediate surroundings.
Today the tact still stands that the organs of criminal prosecution, after
almost twenty years, still have not achieved any significant results in revealing
and processing the perpetrators of these crimes. This case has recently been
transfered to the County State Attorney in Osijek, which could provide a
better investigation. Parsons suspected to have been responsible for the
crimes over civilians in Sisak are still economically and politically powerful
and close to authority structures, in which they had themselves participated at
one time at high levels. Therefore an impression is created that they have
obtained a certain type of immunity of power, which protects them from
responsibility for the crimes.
4.3. Evacuation of Villages in the Vicinity of Pozega in 1991.
Crimes described below were committed in the vicinity of Pozega, town
situated in western Slavonija, in the eastern part of the Republic of Croatia.
On 24 October 1991, the commander of the 123rd Brigade of the Croatian
Army was given a directive by the Defense Forces Headquarters of Eastern
Slavonija and Baranja, signed by former Colonel Karl Gorinsek. The directive
was put into effect on 28 October, and one day later the Croatian Army and
Police proceeded to execute it. This directive ordered the evacuation of 24
habitations near Pozega, issued with two aims: (1) «with the aim of of
protecting their (civilians) lives», and (2) «to enable succesful defense ( ... ) by
defense forces». The directive is justified by the actions of «Chetnik terrorist
forces and units» in that area.
This directive refered to 24 habitations (later on two more were added) which
were inhabited mostly by Serbs. The result of the evacuation, according to the
data of the Serbian Demografic Forum (SDF), are 44 murdered civilians and
more than 1000 destroyed abjects (residential and private), which left 1462
persans more homeless. Even though the data of the SDF does not represent
official data, it is evident that several dozens of civillians were killed and
hundreds of abjects destroyed. According to the official data of the Republic
of Croatia, all the bodies of persans killed in this area have not yet been
identified.
This yields that this evacuation was not conducted with the aim of protecting
civilians, which is also indicated by a sentence in the directive itself, which
states that « ... in case of violations of this directive, the units of the Croatian
343
Army and Police can open tire without a previous warning». lt is most likely
that this action was conducted with the aim of displacing the citizens of
Serbian nationality from this area, which is evident from the fact that villages
with mostly Croatian inhabitants were only partially burned and destroyed, i.e.
they were destroyed much less than villages in which the inhabitants were
mostly Serbian. Finally, according to statements of civilians from that area,
they were not systematically evacuated, but ran to neighboring areas and
neighboring countries.
At the time when this directive was carried out, Ante Bagaric was the
president of Executive Council of the Pozega Municipality and president of
the Crisis Headquarters of the pozega Municipality, Miljenko Crnec was the
commander of the 123rd Brigade of the Croatian Army, Torno Jelic was the
head of the Municipal Defense Office in Pozega, and Drago Matosevic was the
head of Civil Security.
Even though the County State Attorney in Pozega is allegedly investigating
these cri minai acts, no processes were started neither against those who gave
the orders, nor against the direct perpetrators.
4.4. Crimes in Zrnovnica in 1992
Zrnovnica is a settlement north-east of Split, the second largest town in the
republic of Croatia, and the center of the Croatian Dalmatia region.
During the night of 7 February 1992 in Zrnovnica, armed members of the
Croatian Army came into the family home of the Gasparevic couple, abducted
the spouses Vesna and Djordje Gasparevic, and executed them with firearm
shots at the local Krepovac dump. Allegedly, they thought they were Serbs
because of their names.
The crime in Zrnovica was not seriously investigated by the official bodies,
most probably because of the direct involvement of members of the Croatian
Army and Police in the crime itself. A private investigation of this crime, as
well as mining of approximately 30 houses of mostly Serb citizens in
Zrnovnica and the surroundings, was started in 1993 by the retired police
inspecter llija Grubisic. Because of this investigation, he was abducted and
tortured by several members of the Croatian Army and Ministry of Internai
Affairs officers. Fearing for his own safety, as well as the safety of his family,
Grubisic emigrated to Novi Sad in the Republic of Serbia. During the 19 years
which have passed since the crimes in Zrnovnica, the investigative bodies of
the republic of Croatia have not taken any serious steps toward solving these
crimes, nor uncovering the threats and molestment of Grubisic.
The State Attorney of the republic of Croatia had on several occasions
attempted to start an investigation of the murder of the Gasparevic couple,
however this was met by a systematic non-cooperation of the Split police,
which is obviously protecting the perpetrators. Pressure on Grubisic was
continued after he moved to Serbia, where he recieved numerous telephone
344
threats during 2008, because of his findings about the Zrnovnica crimes. The
Split police did not take necessary actions about the new trhreats to Grubisic
either.
ln December last year the Initiative had investigated the Zrnovnica crime, and
its activists contacted a series of persons from the non-governmental sector,
the media and members of military structures during the war period, with the
aim of sheding a light on the crime. One of the members of the military
structure of the Croatian Army, retired Colonel Vinko Barbarie, war
commander of the rocket base in Zrnovnica, (whose soldiers most likely
participated in committing the crime) reported the activist of the Initiative for
harassment, after which he was detained for questioning by the police in the
2nd Precinct Split, where he was unprofessionally questioned, in that the
questioning had the form of political pressure, and not revealing the
circumstances of the alleged harassment29 , not to mention a possible
questioning in the direction of revealing criminals who had viciously
murdered the Gasparevic couple.
4.5. Military Prison «Lora», 1992-1997
ln 1992, a part of the former base of the Yugoslav Navy (YN) was turned into a
prison/camp. ln the Military lnvestigative Center «Lora»30 , which according to
some information operated until 1997, almost a thousand prison ers came
through, mostly of Serbian and Montenegrin nationality, who were exposed to
mental and physical torture, and prisoners Gojko Bulovic and Nenad Knezevic
were killed in the prison.
The State Attorney of the Republic pf Croatia had filed charges on 25 March
2002 against members of the 72nd Military Police Batallion, who were in
charge of the investigative center «Lora». The trial itself was marked by a
series of controversies, from the open sympathizing with the defendants by
the appointed judge Slavko Lozina, to failing to provide protection for
witnesses from Serbia. ln this process, all the defendants were acquitted of
criminal responsibility for the committed crimes. After a complaint by the
State Attorney, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia had on 25
March 2004 reached a solution which cancels the first degree verdict and
orders are-trial with a new War Crimes Council.
After the re-trial, the War Crimes Council of the County Court in Split reached
a verdict on 2 March 2006, in which the defendants Tomislav Duic,
commander, Tonci Vrkic, deputy commander, Miljenko Bajic, Josip Bikic and
Davor Sanie - members of the intervention unit, Emilio Bangur, Ante Gudic
and Andjelko Sotie- guards, were found guilty of the cri minai act of war crime
against civilians committed in the Military Investigation Prison «Lora» in Split
;,, i\ctivist of lho lnitia livE:: Luk,J !3onn cic fro n1 ,nHs askeô :iovurai qu estions by "'per son
who represenled thernse ive:., ,y; inspcctor ;it'Jout hi:, p( v;i :r,, atUucie towa ro qenerai
Ante Gotovina and i,is fat!,er\; partic::pafon ,n the ,Horne Ll'K i <<v». and ~,tated his nc~r:llivc
nt Ltu de to vvzu'ds h un1nn riq\·ltS oqJ2trfz:at1ont; vvhic1\ dG.ai \tv.ith in
. ,r; The offici ,il narnc of th,~ :1,stilution.
\/\i ar C(irn (Jfi .
345
from 12 May 1992 to September of the same year, and were sentenced to 6 to
8 years in prison. After the appelations pracess ended, the Supreme Court of
the Republic of Craatia rejected all complaints and confirmed the verdict on 6
February 2007, which made it the final verdict. After Josif Bikic, who was tried
in absentia surrendered, he was re-tried and recieved a sentence of 4 years in
prison.
The prablem in the «Lora» case is not pracessing other persans accused in
witness statements. They are members of SIS Antonijo Lekic, Tvrtko Pasalic,
Nikola Kristo and Franjo Goreta, commander of the 72nd Military Police
Batallion Mihael Budimir and the commander of the 73rd Military Police
Batallion Zeljko Maglov. Also, an investigation was not started against
General Mate Lausic31, chief of Military Police, and Josif Perkovic, head of SIS,
who could bear command responsibility for torture in «Lora».
4.6. Military and Security Action «Flash»
On 1 May 1995, the authorities o the Republic of Craatia started a military and
security operation on the territory of the so-called Serbian Autonomous
District West Slavonija, the territory around Okucane. The aim of the action
was to regain contrai of this territory which was then within the so-called
Republic Srpska Krajina since 1991. The territory was overseen by the forces
of UNCRO, but despite their presence in April 1995 several incidents were
recorded (violations of the agreement on free traffic on the highway etc.).
The «Flash» operation began on 1 May 1995 at 5:30 AM, and ended the very
next day, on the afternoon of 2 May. During the operation a part of the
occupied Croatian territory was freed, and the operation itself resulted in the
mostly Serbian population moving out. There is no official data on the
number of killed and banished civilians, but according to various reports the
number varies fram 60 to more than 100. The Croatian Helsinki Board for
Human Rights in its report32 lists 83 names of murdered civilians during and
immediately after the «Flash» operation. According to data which the Initiative
obtained in an independent investigation33 , there were appraximately 25.000
citizens of Serbian nationality in this area, and after the operation and other
actions in the area, only between 1.300 and 2.000 of them were left. Not only
did the operation result in a large number of in habitants of Serbian nationality
moving out, but it is also undisputable that members of the Craatian Army
committed murders during the operation, as well as arson, and other forms of
violations of human rights of civilians and prisoners in discord with
international standards which the Republic of Croatia approved by signing
international conventions and agreements. The refugees were also on several
occasions attacked by members of the Craatian Army while fleeing to the
territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was under the contrai of
Republika Srpska. The majority of victims were recorded on the territory of
:" See text on Mate Laus:c (5.9.) Tor :no1'f' :ntorrnatlon .
"" îv1i:itary and Sccurity Operatiion F:asl'l»· Part 3: Forrn,1r UN
Hoœcl for Hurnan HiÇJhts. Za9 mh ::!U fvlay ?O(J;1.
J3 r1eport availabk:'! in the arcJdve3 of the init lat:".J(~
VVesL Croatian f"1clsin ki
346
Nova Varos, where civilians were shot at form the direction of Prasnik forest34 •
Testimonies of attacks of the Croatian Army on refugee convoys point to a
crime against civilians: « ... ln village Benkovac, the Croatian Army had on 1
May intercepted a convoy of refugees which came from the direction of
Pakrac. The convoy was attacked. There were several people dead, but 1
knoow about Djuro Mandic who was driving a truck when he was killed. 1
know that those who were killed there were buried in village Benkovac, all of
them together, in the back yard of the Gasparevic family house. The Croatian
Army later dug up the bodies and moved them to an unknown location, and
one of the inhabitants of the village saw the exhumation ... »35 Civilians who
did not manage or did not want to leave Croatia were taken by members of the
Croatian Army to collection centers in Varazdin, Bjelovar and Pozega, where
men of military age were subject to questioning and often beatings, while
women and children were put in temporary shelters where they were
supposedly kept for safety. According to witness statements, that time was
used for unimpeded robbing and plundering of their property, because they
returned to demolished and empty houses. The report of Human Rights
Watch from 5 June 1995 states: «the Croatian Army limited the movement of
international observers in the period from 4 to 7 May 1995, under the excuse
that there is still sporadic fighting going on in the area, when actually they
needed time to cover the tracks of violations of international rules of warfare
and violations of human rights».
During the Military and Security Operation «Flash» a large number of
violations of international humanitarian law were committed, for which no one
was punished or criminally prosecuted. Covering up the crimes and
protecting individuals who committed these crimes brings into question the
readiness of the state leadership to punish the perpetrators and fulfill their
obligations adopted through international agreements. The «Flash» operation
was conducted under the command of General Janko Bobetko as a General of
the Croatian Army, and the head of the General Headquarters of Armed
Forces of the Republic of Croatia, and General Luka Dzanko. General Luka
Dzanko was a suspect in the ICTY for crimes committed in the international
clash on the territory of the Republic of Croatia during the nineties, and was
not charged.
The leadership of the Republic of Croatia aise shows clear inability to
establish a precise number of persons killed, banished or disappeared from
this area, or to shed light on the fate of the missing persons.
According to the information obtained by the Initiative, the State Attorney of
the Republic of Croatia is still not preparing indictments for perpetrators of
war crimes, crimes against humanity and other severe violations of human
rights during the «Flash» operation.
'" See repoït: Military and Security Operatiion eFl;;cr' , Par'. :J: Forrrer UN Scctor We::t
Croatian He:sinki Board lor Hurnan Hi9hts , 30 \;hy 2002 , pDqe 7.
:,,; 1 bid, pafJe 11 .
347
4. 7. Military and Security Operation ccStorm»
Military and Security Operation «Storm» was a joint action of the Croatian
Army and the forces of the Ministry of Internai Affairs of the Republic of
Croatia, with the cooperation of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina (AB&H)
and the Croatian Defense Council (CDC). The operation started on early
morning of 4 August 1995, around 5:00 AM, and officially ended on 7 August
1995 at 6:00 PM. lt included former UN Sector West and South, and it reclaimed
the territories into the constitutional and legal order of the Republic
of Croatia, and the place where rebel Serbs had previously proclaimed
autonomy and formed Republic Srpska Krajina (RSK). The territory
encompasses approximately 10.500 square kilometers.
«The action, conducted by the Croatian Army and Police was positively
asessed in the sense of taking down the regime of the so-called «RSK», which
as an artificial formation represented the denial of all human rights on the
occupied territory. However, at the same time the «Storm» operation in some
segments lead to severe violations of human rights: murders, group
executions36, disappearances and killing of civilians in villages or on the road
in refugee convoys.»37 Many reports state data about killed or missing
persans, robbed, demolished and burned houses and business abjects,
devastated villages, etc. Despite calls and promises since the days of
President of the Republic of Croatia Franjo Tudjman38 , Prime Minister of the
Republic of Croatia Nikica Valentic, Minister of Internai Affairs Ivan Jarnjak
and Minister of Foreign affairs Mate Granic39 , in a large majority of cases the
Croatian leadership has done nothing to prevent future crimes, robberies and
demolition of property, and the already committed criminal acts have not been
adequately processed and the perpetrators not sanctioned.
ln its report from late September 1995, the Observation Mission of the EU
concluded the following: «lt is clear that the Croatian forces committed severe
violations of International Law during and after the re-integration of «Krajina».
Events which took place during a course of 5 weeks after the «Storm»
operation, point to the tact that the primary goal of Croatia was to re-establish
its territorial integrity, as well as means of communication between
continental Croatia and Dalmatia. The second achievement of the operation
é,r< Srie report: Military OpEirslion ,,s tonn-, and aft;cnn2th ·· i r,mn er UN Secto:- «Soult> ,
Croatiém He:s:nki Cornrnittee !or Hu man Z;1s1ret,. >:-; 1 D9:L paqe 3: «Group
exocutions recorc:,xl in RacHicvac. Uzdoiju ; Gubrn: . Gosi c. V:irivode, Korcinic:L." and sue
pa~1e b4 ,,Uzdo:1e (l-<nin): I Au9ust l Dqs, aro1r,d 9 o'clocr. the Croatian Arrny executecl
sovm, civ!lians bom frorn 19\10 to i 931 , accordinq te il rupod by internatio nal oi >sorvers th e
vil!agers ,vere lorced to91:,1het on a srnar maei, 1orcec1 :o si: c:own and shot from a
distance ... ,·
:,.- Heport: MiHrny Operation «S!urrn., and af!errn ath · pnrt il Forn,er UN Sectoi «North· ,,
Croatian He!sinki Cornrnittee fzx Humnn H{ 1hts, Zacw~b. 1 ,Ju:y 2DDO. pa9e B ····· q_
i;i Davor Mari/an : Stora. Zaqreb, ,July 2009, se,0 paqe: 1 "12-1 !:3: ''To Croata n citizens of
Se1'bian nationaUy tro m tlie occupieo twr:tod,ii; or Knin , Ciracac, Lapac, Ko renica. S!unj,
Glina. Dvor and Pet:·in/;;r'
w See report: Militwy Ope•ation <3to rrn-, and aitermath --p2rt i: FonT1ûr Uhl Sector ,,South».
Croatian H(;'isinki Cormnittee fo" Htnï3n !Tqht,,, Z::1c;reb. B î oaqe 23 ·· 24
348
was the disappearance of a numerous unwanted minority ... » The reports o
domestic and foreign non-governmental organizations, international bodies
in charge of humanitarian issues and observers missions of intergovernmental
organizations have mostly recorded cases of murders and
executions of civilians and soldiers during and after the «Storm» operation.
Among the data presented in October 1995, the UN had recorded 128 cases
of murder of elderly civilians. A somewhat larger number of murdered civilians
were recorded by observer missions of the European Commission. ln its two
reports on crimes committed during and after the «Storm» operation, the
Croatian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights (CHC) lists a number of 677
persans who lost their lives, at the same time warning that this is not the final
number.4° CHC further states that witness testimonies indicate that there was
a systematic and organized strategy of eliminating evidence of the committed
crimes.41
The number of refugees during the «Storm» operation differs from report to
report by tens of thousands. The relevant international organizations reported
between 180.000 and 200.000 refugees42 , and the Government of the
Republic of Croatia in late August 1995 lists a number of around 154.000
refugees of Serbian nationality. After the opertation, on the territory on which
it was conducted, around 8.500 persons remained according to the above
mentioned report of the International Helsinki Federation from 25 August
1995.
The majority of the Serbian population left the Sector South by 5 August
1995, while the population from Sector North, having left later, had formed
three convoys. «The main direction of movement would partially change
because of frequent air and artillery attacks, since the refugees would hide in
the forests during the shooting ... So the refugees from Vojnic and Vrginmost
were moving in the direction Topusko-Glina-Zirovac-Dvor, and from there the
convoys went to Bosnia and Herzegovina. This convoy suffered the most
victims on the stretch between Topusko and Dvor, and especially in villages
Glina, Maja, Zirovac and Trgovi. On that stretch of the road, between 6 and 9
1
·" ,,Aithough in the UN Secto:· Nont 1 fewr,i1· vict:rns 1:vere r'E:>e: 01·ded (26/ ) H1an the fom1e i'
Soctor South (410), ths docs net dirri1nish r:01 exon orato !rrn um,ccessary sacdicos rnado
when freelng the occup ied territories. llov\'ev ,y îh:s nurnber cannot be iinal :)ecaus;3 in sorne
places it vvas irnpossibk:~ to check prcvtous ly r(Y)evcd infon-naton 1 bccaus c no one had yet
retumed to the vinage:;. !\ 1El<'fl0 nurnber or ,'üt1Jqe1~s hnvt3 shown a siç;nif:cant amount of
tear, w hich causeci U:ern to nvoic1 giv 1n9 te'.,tirnonie:;. -,: fvnita,y Op0t-ation «Storrnrn1d
afüinn ath - part li: Furmu r U:~ Sec to r «~3outh ,. C>oat:an ilci,:ink : Ccr,ir rdtee for iLrrn :u1
Hights, Za9rfib, 1 July 2000, page 1 1.
n «L.iubo Djapic frorn Biocici was kilk·d :,ow ~~onad,c qa:; station , at the entrance to knir1- His
1:'acktor had run out of lue!, nnc1 11e ,·eturned to the Jas stat on , He 1t1as seen in a cfüch l)y
Je:ena and Si1110 Pak ar. whe n v,;ei'e io the UNCno c:arnu They saw severai other
deacl tioclies. eithe r ,üendy in baQS, ,Y uncoverc:YJ ! ,,aw a hcacJ!e~:s wornan nncl rnany ~Jied
people :n t;,1cktors, p<0op:e who were Lying te S'J'lt out of l<ni!1. H,ey were an civirans __ . So
stated C.T, frorn Paklar in Hiocici v\/itnessos stnte thnt in sorne r>arts of f(n in thcr e vvas or,e
body atter another. nw11 14 frn tmcf ,s came /rom Split and Sibe1tk anct after the bodies
we re removed, wasl,ed the strceté, of l;ioocL anr.1 only tlien wcr c the Uhl rnission s aliowecJ to
ente:-the town. ": lbicl , pa9e 31.
s.:-Amnes ty !11temat ona! , lntcrn ational Helsinki FcUera1ion
349
August, a large number of persons in the convoy were killed ... »43 Convoys of
refugees were exposed to other attacks which included executions, separating
the men from the convoy and stonings. Apart from the Croatian Army, some
members of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina were also responsible for
crimes against refugees who were trying to retreat or tried to leave the convoy
and return to where they ran away from in Banija.44 The weekly magazine
«Vreme» published in issue 252 from 21 August 1995 a testimony of a
survivor from the refugee convoy which was, according to his statement,
intercepted near Glina by the «Hamza» and «Black Mamba» units.
During and especially after the «Storm» operation, international observers
noted in the liberated area many destroyed objects. «ln its special report, the
observers from the European Union noted: ln the whole «Krajina» houses
were burned, and even now, more than five weeks after the fast clashes, they
are sti/1 being burned. The destruction of a large majority of non-Croatian
property can point to the conclusion that this was done not on/y by gangs of
robbers, but that it was at least tolerated by the Croatian authorities... The
result will be an effective prevention of the return of Serbs into their homes,
but it wi/1 a/so be general/y difficult for the population to re-inhabit this area.»
45 The most common patterns of destruction of property were mining and
devastation (plundering) and burning of numerous family houses, garages,
stables, persona! property, storerooms, etc. ln its report the CHC states that
only in Sector South « ... there was systematic organization of burning of a
series of villages and at least 22.000 houses. Ali village economic facilities
were robbed, the electric and other communal systems destroyed. ( ... ) Knin
itself, as well as other larger centers were completely plundered. Even in the
view of the army, police and authorities, in broad daylight, electronic guides
were taken off the railroad from Knin to Bihac.» 46 The amount and scope of
destroyed property point to the fact that this was not a case of sporadic
individual incidents and persona! greed. On the contrary (with the possibility
of existance of individual incidents) it is clear that this was a case of
systematic devastation and destruction of objects and property owned by the
Serb refugees, with the aim of preventing or at least impeding their return. The
scope of these crimes points to the existence of an organized action of
destroying non-Croatian property. A mild and inadequate reaction of the
police and the army, especially the Military Police, which did not pursue an
effective sanctioning of the perpetrators and stop future criminal actions,
indicates that the Croatian authorities, although declaratively stating
commitment to human rights and the guarantee of right of protecting the
property of refugee Serbs, in practice were systematically violating those
rights, primarily through failing to sanction the crimes and failing to provide
adequate protection of the property of refugee Serbs. lt was actually
supporting the devastation of a whole part of its territory.
n Heport lv1!litai'v Operation .,Storm., ano aftennr1Ui · oan il: Former UM Sector "South,-,
C10cltian Ho!sinki Cornrnittoe fo, Hunm n Rqtr:s. Zaç:1reb.t '.)000, paq0, 11-12 .
"Davor Marijan : Stonn, Zaq,er.i, Ju!y 200D, page 1 '.35.
·'" See report: Mi!itrny Opcration ·,Stonn, , and aftenirnt!i ···· part, : Fo1?,1tY U\J Scctor «South <
Cro2iian He!'.';inki Comrnittee ro, Hu man Rqr1ts, Za9reh, 8 i\pdl 1 :AD:L paqe 8'.l - 84.
"'' lb :d. page 85.
350
ln the case of the Military and Security Operation «Storm», i.e. crimes
committed during and after it, the issue must be raised of people and
institutions responsible, who were supposed to be the guarantee for obeying
the law, especially the Military Police and the police of the Ministry of Internai
Affairs. The heads of these institutions (Ivan Jarnjak47 , Minister of Internai
Affairs and Mate Lausic48 , head of the Military Police Directorate) must bear
responsibility for not processing and sanctioning direct perpetrators, and
consequently for not preventing severe violations of human rights, especially
taking into consideration the scope of the robberies, burnings and
demolitions on one hand, and their responsibility as heads of the appropriate
institutions responsible for overseeing the actions of their subordinates and
supervising the implementation of laws on the other hand49 •
Although the appropriate state bodies quoted data50 in the public which point
to the Police and Military police detaining and processing suspects for
actions committed during and after the «Storm» operation, the numbers
stated at the time do not correspond to the scope of committed crimes.
Additionally, Oavor Marijan in his book «Storm» quoted here, publishes
information from the documentation of security and intelligence services of
the Republic of Croatia, and states as follows: Until 10 September 1995
Military Police had investigated and criminally processed 1567 persons.
Through criminal investigation ... a total of 659 persans were processed ... On
the territory re-claimed into the constitutional order the Military police had,
because of undisciplined behavior, questioned 558 members of the Croatian
Army, of which 262 were detained. 445 cri minai complaints were fi/ed, 1059
members of the Army were searched, and stolen property confiscated from
669 members... lt had conducted a criminal investigation for 321 criminal
acts, of which: 13 were murders, 18 cases of accidentai killings of members of
the Croatian Army, 191 cases of arson, 13 minings and 86 other criminal
acts ... From the known perpetrators of criminal acts 79 were members of the
Croatian Army, and in 274 cases civilians.»51 This systematic account clearly
shows that the number of «processed» persons does not correspond to the
scope of committed crimes, and that the investigative institutions of the
Republic of Croatia should devote serious attention to establishing individual
cri minai responsibility of direct perpetrators of these crimes.
5. Non-prosecuting or lnadequate Prosecuting of Powerful Military and
Political Personnel
This report by no means pre-judges the below mentioned persons for
committing war crimes. The aim of this part of the report is to point to the
1- Seo lext on !van .Ja,rjak (5,8 .) fo r more inJorrnati un,
1" Se(': tic':xt on î-Aate Lausic (b,:1-) 1or (fü)re infoiTndtion,
.i,) See texts 5,8, and 5 8. of th is moort for rr10:·e inicwna :.ion
-;, ln a contei'ence or9an :zed by the fv1inister or inte n,ai AJtairn !\;an Penic, he!d in trie
Gove rnment bui:d:ng on 26 May 1999, l\1inist1;)1 Pçn:c stated that rnore than S00D
proces ses were lend , 267 0 of thorn c:uring 199i3_
"' Davor ~.;Jaril an: :3to1m, Zaqi eb , Ju!y 2009 paw, 1
351
partial and above all slow work of investigative bodies in cases where
allegations exist against persans who (were) in high positions in political and
army structures. This part of the report represents an invitation to the
authorities to investigate the existing allegatioris and start official
investigations where there is reasonable doubt that a war crime was
committed, whether against the direct perpetrators, · or on the basis of
command responsibility. Allegations on the basis of which these persons
have been included in this chapter of the report arl? mostly known to the
public, and in some cases were collected by the activists of the Initiative.
5.1. Vladimir Seks
Vladimir Seks is a lawyer by profession. He is one of the most powerful
Croatian politicians since the independence of the Republic of Croatia to
date. He is currently serving as the vice-president of_ the Croatian Parliament,
president of the Board of Croatian Parliament for the Constitution, Agenda
and Political Constituents, as well as vice president of the National board for
monitoring the joining negotiations of the Republic of Croatia with the
European Union. He is the vice-president of the Croatian Democratic Union.
He used to perform various political duties, including the function of the
President of the Croatian Parliament, President of the Pardon Commission,
and deputy Minister of Internai Affairs. During 1991, he was at the position of
the president of the Crisis Headquarters for Eastern Croatia in Osijek, and
from April to August 1992 was the Public Prosecutor of the Republic of
Croatia. ln 1991, when he was on the position of the president of Crisis
Headquarters, in Osijek and Vukovar a series of crimes were committed over
Serbian civilians. ln the trial against Glavas and others, several persons
confirmed that he knew about the war crimes in Osijek. He himself testified in
this trial, but the court dismissed his testimony as untrustworthy. Four years
ago a tape lasting 1 O minutes was revealed, recorded while Seks was in the
Crisis Headquarters, which stated the following: «Ali the units of the Republic
of Croatia on the territory of Osijek will act in accordance with the decisions
of the Crisis Headquarters». The establishing of the responsibility of Seks for
crimes in Osijek remains to be determined. The Initiative had recently provided
the State Attorney of the Republic of Croatia with reports by several persons
whose family members were killed in 1991 in Vukovar, and which mention
Seks. The County State Attorney in Osijek had interviewed several persons
during January and February, and on 22 February 2011 stated that there are
no basis for further establishing the responsibility of Seks for crimes in
Vukovar. There are other allegations which state that Seks knew about the
events in Osijek and Vukovar in 1991, such as documents of the Ministry of
Internai Afairs about the crimes in Vukovar, which have leaked into the public.
There is a strong possibility that Seks will be mentioned in the trial of
Tomislav Mercep, who in 1991 acted as the secretary of the National Defense
Office in Vukovar, against whom the State Attorney is preparing an indictment
for arrests and murders of mostly Serbian civilians and war prisoners in
Vukovar, Zagreb, Gospic and the vicinity of Pakrac. Finally, several persons,
citizens of Montenegro, have publicly $tated that they were arrested in 1992,
some were tortured, changed into uniforms of the Yugoslav People's Army
352
and exchanged for Croatian prisoners. Sorne of them allegedly made
statements about this to the Supreme State Prosecution Office in
Montenegro. One of the witnesses who claims to have been arrested at the
time, has confirmed his statement for the Initiative. At that time, Seks was the
Public Prosecutor of the Republic of Croatia.
5.2. Ivan Vekic
Ivan Vekic is a lawyer by profession. He is the president of the nationalist
organization Croatian Guards, which recently became a political party.
Between July 1991 and April 1992, he was the Minister of Internai Affairs of
the Republic of Croatia. As a Minister of Internai Affairs, he most likely knew
and failed to sanction crimes committed at the time over Serbian civilians all
over Croatia, which include murder, illegal detainment, arbitrary arrests,
disappearances and evictions . While performing this function, Tomislav
Mercep formed a notorious unit of the Ministry of Internai Affaris in Zagreb.
5.3. Djuro Brodarac
Djuro Brodarac performed the function of the chief of Police Directorate Sisak
at the beginning of the clashes, and in 1993 became the Prefect of the SisakMoslava
County. He was later named councellor for demining of the
Government of the Republic of. Croatia. While he was the chief of Police
Directorate Sisak, several hundreds of civilians were murdred on the territory
of Sisak, mostly of Serbian nationality 52 • Sorne of these civilians were
murdered in their own homes and back yards, and some were taken to one of
the locations in which executions were performed. Currently these crimes are
being investigated, and the results are expected to be the indictment against
Brodarac and some of his associates.
5.4. Karl Gorinsek
Karl Gorinsek is a politicologist by profession. During and after the war he
advanced from the rank of Colonel to Major General. He served as the
commander of the Corps of Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia in
Osijek. For a short time, between July and December 1993, he was an MP as a
member of the Liberal Party. ln October 1991 he issued the order to evacuate
villages near Pozega, which resulted in the murder of several dozens of Serb
civilians and destruction of sevrai hundreds of objects53 • ln December 1991 in
Paulin Dvor, a village in eastern Croatia, the members of the 130th Brigade of
the Croatian Army killed 18 civil ians (17 Serbs and one Hungarian). Gorinsek
was their superior at the time. At the trial of Enes Viteskic for this crime in
2006, one of the witnesses testified that Gorinsek had informed his
associates about the crime immediately after it happened. However, Gorinsek
did not adequately sanction or report the perpetrators of this crime, but sent
them to the «first line» of defense. The Initiative had obtained information
353
from a persan within the defense structure at the time, that they were first
supposed to be sent to the Valpovac Brigade, but the commander of that
brigade allegedly refused them with the explanation that he did not want war
criminals in his unit.
5.5. Vinko Barbarie
Vinko Barbarie is a retird Colonel of the Croatian Army. He is a member of the
Croatian Democratic Union. He was the president of the local board of the
Zrnovnica Municipality in early 2000. During the war he commanded the
Zrnovica rocket base and de facto was themaste r of the wider Zrnovnica area.
ln Zrnovnica in 1992 a murder of a couple was committed, and several abjects
were mined, mostly property of Serb civilians54 • These criminal acts were most
likely committed by the Croatian Army rocket base in Zrnovnica, under
Barbaric's command.
5.6. Darko Milinovic
Darko Milinovic is a doctor (gynecology specialist) by profession. He is the
current deputy of Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia and the Minister of
Health and Social Gare. He is a member of the Croatian Democratic Union.
Since 1998 he has politically advanced from local, over county to national
positions. He is exceptionally influential, especially in the Lika-Senj County.
He performed several professional functions which include the position of the
Chief of the General Hospital in Gospic, and Chief of Gynaecology and
Obstetrics Department, as well as a series of political functions, including MP
in the Croatian Parliament, vice president of the Croatian Parliament, as well
as several functions in executive boards of public institutions. He was also
the president of a veteran association in Gospic. He participated in the war.
He has been connected to crimes over mostly Serbian civilians in Gospic at
the beginning of the war, for which several persans have previously been held
accountable (Mirko Norac, Tihomir Oreskovic, Stjepan Grandie). ln 1998 a
woman from Gospic stated to a persan who said they were an investigator of
the ICTY that Milinovic had, along with another colleague from the Gospic
General Hospital, picked up the bodies of persans killed during interrogations
in the Operative Headquarters in an ambulance .,_ehicle. She did not know
where th ose bodies were taken. Because of her statement she was physically
attacked, and several years later she publicly recanted these allegations at a
press conference. This press conference was organized in the management
building of the city of Gospic, and was organized by mayor Milan Kolic,
member of the Croatian Democratic Union, which seriously undermines the
reliability of the statements given at the conference, but also points to the tact
that it might have been organized under pressure.
354
5.7. Davor l")omazet
Davor Domazet is an Army officer, and after working for the Navy of the
Yugoslav Army, he moved to the Croatian Army where he was first in the
navy, and later in in the intelligence service, and then the Main headquarters.
The ICTY had prepared an indictment against Mirko Norac and Rahim Ademi
for crimes committed during and immediately after the «Pocket 93» operation,
carried out in 1993 in Medacki Dzep near Gospic. The trial for these crimes
was finalized in the Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia55 in 2010 when
a verdict was reached which found Mirko Norac guilty , and Rahim Ahmedi
innocent on the basis of established facts on the existance of a parallel chain
of command made of Domazet, Zeljko Sacic and the deceased general Janko
Bobetko.
5.8. Ivan Jarnjak
Ivan Jarnjak is a work organization engineer by profession. He is the vice
president of the Croatian Democratic Union. He is currently at the position of
the vice president of the Croatian Parliament. From August 1991 to April
1992 he was deputy Minister of Internai Aff airs of the Republic of Croatia, and
in 1992 the former President of the Republic of Croatia Franjo Tudjman
named him the Minister of Internai Affairs. He performed this position until
late 1996. As a Minister of Internai Affairs, he participated in the planning and
execution of a series of actions of Croatian security forces . ln the proposed
annex of the indictment by the ICTY Prosecution, he is mentioned as one of
the participants of a joint criminal action during the military and Security
operation «Storrn». Since he was at the time the Minister of Internai Affairs,
the issue of his possible responsibility for crimes committed during and
immediately after the opertation, as well as for inadequate processing and
covering up of crimes, should be taken into consideration 56 •
5.9. Mate Lausic
Mate Lausic had during the war acted as the Chief of Police Directorate. ln
that position, he has been connected to at least three groups of war crimes
cases. The first group are crimes committed in the military prison/camp
«Lora», lead by the Military Police57 • The second group are the crimes
committed in another prison/camp, «Kuline». Mario Barisic, the former
commander of Sibenik Military Police, publicly stated in late 2010 that he had
personally informed Mate Lausic and the former President of the Republic of
Croatia Franjo Tudjman about these crimes. According to his statement,
shortly afterwards Lausic told him to leave the Croatian forces. Finally, Lausic
has been connected to crimes committed during and immediately after the
Military and Security Operation «Storm». A part of the crimes committed
during and immediately after the «Storm» were allegedly committed by the
members of Military Police, and they also failed to adequately react to
:.<-CélSe in accoi-dancs vvlt1·1 ru!c î ·1 of the Ru!e~:3 cf PnJct:xlure and Evidence uf t1·1(;;: lCT'Y
;:·it: ~>oe tex! or1 ~11i!it8(Y nnd St:cu () pernUc)rîi -~Stonr }) (4 7 .) for rnon :; lnforn1ation ,
D'I See text on rv1ilitar/ Prison/( ~~u11 f,'; j·Lort( (4. 5 .) -for rnorc in fonr,ation ,
355
violations of international humanitarian law by the Croatian Army58 • The ICTY
had investigated Lausic in connection ta the «Storm» crimes, however he was
not indicted but called as a witness. The investigative bodies of the Republic
of Croatia did not continue the investigation of the possible responsibility of
lausic for these crimes.
6. Conclusion
Starting a criminal process for such severe crimes contains, except the legal,
also a prominent moral component. Even though Croatia has seen some
progress regarding the investigation and prosecution of war crimes,
numerous cases remain, like those mentioned here, in which we need ta insist
that perpetrators and those who ordered the crimes should face justice. A
large period of time since the bloody events is a strong argument for an
urgent action of the State Attorney of the Republic of Croatia in order to stop
furher misplacement of evidence due to the death of witnesses, fading of
memories, intentional cover-ups and destroying of documents. This is also
important for the protection of the integrity of witnesses and strengthening of
the witness protection system in general, who are in most cases, in such legal
and political surroundings, not willing ta testify about crimes of the Croatian
forces, or revoke their testimonies given during investigations because of the
pressure exerted by local communities and in this way additionally establish
and legitimize impunity. Finally, all the necessary conditions for the
independent work of judicial bodies should be met, in order for crimes and
their perpetrators ta be subject even during the trial to professional and just
processes, and in that way ensure the satisfaction and establishing of justice
for the victims and the society as a whole.
356
Publisher: Youth Initiative for Human Rights
For publisher: Mario Mazic
Translation: Svetlana Papa
Zagreb, March 2011
www.yihr.org
lndex-YIHRCRO-23.02.2011 .-0248
ANNEX75
Conclusions of the Government of the Republic of Croatia of
15 April 2011, communicatcd to the diplomatie missions
accredited in Croatia with the diplomatie note No. 2081/11 of
19 April 2011

359
04 05 11 16: 13 F. 1 -· l~iU4 ZUll lZ:4~ ~.U. J55•1 14568972 aV.t'Ul U.l(lll) JTl' U .l!J \(jjUU;.(
No . 2081/U
The Mini.11:If of Foteign Aff.ùt:i and Europcan Intcgt:Ltion of the Republic of Croati..
prelicnb its conipl.imcnt:s to the diploIDatic an.is&10n.11 ac.acdiœd to the Republic of Cto2.ti:a and}=
the honour to inf= as follows:
The Govcnmieot of the Republic of CroatD adopted, on 15 .April 201 l, the Conclusion
io .i:ebtion to the Judgmcnt of die In~tiooal Crimuw Tribunal for the former Yugoslzvi.2. in
the case of Prosecutor ~g:ûwt ~ Gcn=ls Ann: Gotovioa. Ivan ëam:ak and Mladœ
Muk:ac.
By this Con~ion, the Gov=:i:ocnt of the :Republic of Croatia acccptcd the cooclasion~
of the Study of the Croatwi Acadcmy of Lcgal Scicoccs: "The Theory of Joint û:iminal
Entapœe and Intctm.tianal Crirnioal 1.aw -Cl:ialleiigc.s and CoJ1trOVctsics".
The Study bas beeo eblbw:an:à by the Croati= Aa.ci=y of Lcg:ù Sciences and w.is sent
to the Pre:sicknt of the Int.a:oa.tioo:ù Ctimmal Ttlbimal for the fazmc::r Yugosb.viA in Febtua.ty
2011.
Complete Study is sn.ilable on the web pJgC of the ~tan Acadc:my of Lcgil Sciences
(http://www.pr:irvo.lu/apzh).
In this vicw, the Ministty of Fo.o:ign Aff:ù:rs alld Emopeui Intcgra:tioo of the Republic of
Croatia h.as the honow: to coovcy to the dipl.o~tic IJ>issioD.ll acacdi.ted to the Republic of
ûoa.tia, foi: th.cil: cow.ideation, the Conclusion of the: <xrvcmmcot of the Republic of Croata
and the u:y coodusions of the Study of du, Cwv.tian Acadcmy of Lcgtl Sciences: "The Theory of
Joint Criroical EntCiprise and Intcn2rioml Criminsl Law-C1wl.cngcs and ContrO'VttSics".
Toc Mioistty of Fon::ign A.fhits and Europe:m Intcgntion of the R.cpnblic of Cr~tia
would like to takc thii oppor:tunity to rcnew to the diplom:,.tic mis.sioo.s acaedin,d to the
Republic of Croata the assw:anc:es of in l:ùgbest c:onsidecaciau.
Zagreb. 19 April 2011
Diplomatie ltfissions accrttiited in
the RcpuhBc ofCroatia
360
O'l 05 ll 16:13
lV/U4 lUll lZ:4t ~A.l 3~6 l 1456897% l!Vl'El UR.ED I>T 'ZA EI
p.2
lil)004
In regard of the oon-final judgcmcnt of the Intemational Criminal Court for the
Former Yugoslavia in the case against Croatian GmeraLs. Gotovina. èennalc aJJd Marbë, the
Govemment of the Republic of Croatia bas, pumwtt to Art 30 paragraph 3 of the Law on the
Govemmeot of the Republic of Croatie. (Official Oa:zctte of the Republic of Croatia 101/98,
15/2000, 117/2001, 199/2003, 30/2004, 71!1.CX>9 and 145/'2010), at its meeting on 15 April
2011, adoptcd the foilowing
CONCLUSIONS:
]. Having hcmtl thcjudgemcnt of the International Criminal Court for the Former
Yugoslavia ·in the case again.st Croatian Gcnerals, Gotovioa, èc:rmak and Marle.al pronouaced,
the Governmcnt of the Republic of Croatia dcclares that the allega;tions of a join1 criminal
enterprise prcseotx::d io regard of the Storm militaty and poliœ action that to the Republic of
Croatia is a lcgitimate defcoce action to liberate its staœ tmitory, are unacceptable.
2. The Gove:tIJWmt of the Republic: of Croatia ac:œpts the conclusions of the
Study of the Croatian Acadcmy of Lega1 Sciences: "The Thcory of JoiDt Criminal En1Cl'J)J'ise
and InœrnatiooaJ Crimi.o.aJ Law- Challenges and Controvasies".
3. The Govcmmalt of the Republic ofCroatia will apply for the sœtus of amicus
curiae in this marter.
Reg. No.
File No.
Zagreb,
004-01/11-02/01
5030102-11-l
15 April 20ll
PRIME MINIS1ER
Ja.dranka Kosor, LLB
361
04 os 11 16:14
i:,rv• .:1111 1:c:<1• l"A.ol. .>a'> L J .. 1;,01111·,z:
p . 3
IQ006
1) Joint criminal entcrprisc was not part of intematioc.al custoroary IIEW at the timc the offenccs
with whidt the aa:used ~ duagcd wcrc commiUcd.
2) Joint criminal eotccprise js contrary to the principle of guilt. which is one of the fundamenul
principles of contmiponuy criminal law.
3) Through the dangcrous expansion of the elements of guilt (mem rea expansion), joint criminal
enterprise hss come very close to guiJt by association wbich the Stanne does not regulate.
4) Dr:awing a conclusion on the existence ofthe accused's intention. from objeclivc circumSWJces
(infercoce) in the second and third aitegozy of JCE is questionable from the aspect of the
principlc ofpresumption ofionoccnce which. intualia, is regul.at.ed by Article 21/3 ofthe Statute.
5) The ICTY's jurisprudence in relation to JCE theory and the provision of the Statute in wbic:b
this theory is allegedly containcd "by implication" is not in unison and js not consistent with the
principlcs of kgal ccrtainty and justice.
6) The extensive.application of JCE thc:ory to the cnt.iR political aud rnilitary structures of a sta1c
and to otber "known and unknownn pcrsons does not fulfiJ the requiremcnt ofprecisc charges and
may proouce wrong impression of"political influen~" on intanatiooal criminal justice system.
7) lndictmcnts conccivcd broadly, fullowing JΠ1hoory, whlch contain a "collective" accusation
of not only the pe:son against wbom the proce~ arc conducted, but of the entire state and
military structures, as well as "persocs known and unknown"', mean tbat the very puq,ose of the
found.atioo and opcraiion oflCTY is tbrealened.
8) Giving c:redibility to JCE thcocy in international criminal adjudication involves the risk that
national criminal prosecutioo bodies will apply it even more r:x:tcosively and to the greater
dctriment of protectcd human rigbts. [ts application undennincs the contemporary crimi!UII law
building founded on traditional pillars of legaI dogmatics.
9) The extensive application <if JCE theoty will have negative consoquences in the proccss of the
a.ffinnation of internatiowsl criminal Iaw and acljudicatioo.
JO) ln jurisprudence of international criminal tribunals JCE thcoxy sbould be ~placed by other
finnly esiablishod concepts of individual criminal rc:sponsibility, su.ch as co-papeaatioo and
perpctration by means.

ANNEX76
Letter of the Commissariat for Refugees of the Republic of
Serbia, No. 019-542/1 of 5 August 2011

365
COMMISSARIAT FOR REFUGEES
Narodnih Heroja 4, 11070 Belgrade
tel: +381 11 285 78 90, fax: +381 11 312 95 85, e-mail: [email protected]
No. 019-542/1
Belgrade, 5 August 2011
REPUBLIC OF SERBIA
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFF AIRS
Mr. Ivan Mrkié, State Secretary
Dear Mr. Mrkié,
[Ministry of Foreign Aff airs
receipt stamp, No. 916-2/2011/9
8 August 2011]
Concerning your letter No. 916-1/2011/9 of 28 July 2011, we inform you of the
following:
According to the data of the Republic of Croatia, about 68,000 persons have returned .
According to the registration in 1996, undertaken together by the Commissariat for
Refugees and the UNHCR, 290,667 refugees and 39,456 war-affected persons from
the Republic of Croatia were staying in the Republic of Serbia.
At this moment, there are 56,363 refugees from the Republic of Croatia. During 16
years, more than 230,000 persons lost the refugee status. Most of them have been
formally integrated in the Republic of Serbia by taking the papers of the Republic of
Serbia, while a small number of people also managed to solve their housing needs.
All registrations of the refugees have been done together with the UNHCR and they
are available in printed and electronic form.
For further information you can contact the Data Processing Unit of the Commiss ariat
for Refugees on the e-mail: aop@,kirs.gov.rs
Pleas find attached the number of refugees in the Republic of Serbia by years.
Respectfull y,
Commissar y
Vladimir Cucié
[signed]
[stamp]
366
:z
0
-
f--<
f--<
Q
w
~
.
Refugees
(cl)
REGISTRATION DATA FOR YEARS 1996, 2001, 2004/5, 2009/10 AND CURRENT SrTUATION
War- .:.:;;d l TOTAL I R,fui"'" affected TOTAL .:.:;;. J ~T:T:L ~I R,ru;m .:.:;;d l TOTAL I Rofug,os
1~===i~====!~=pe=r=s=on=s=(=c=2~) (c ) persons (c2) (c ) persons (c2) (cl) lpersons (c2)
BEJEJEJBBEJEJEJEJ~I 21.,26 I
BEJEJEJEJBEJ 133,853 EJEJ~B
r-:::lr-;:l not d r-;:l~ ~ot d ~ot d ~ot d reg1stere reg1stere reg1stere reg1stere
c=i~ .9 notd~~ notd~~ ~otd~~ notd~ ~L:'.::.J reg1stere L:'.::.J~ reg1stere reg1stere reg1stere
~urr~nt not not ~ot ~ot
situation reg1stered ~L::J reg1stered L::J~ reg1stered reg1stered
367
1) e n y ô ;: H K 3 C p 6 ; 1 J a
KOlYlECAPHJAT 3A M3GECHMqE H:-1p(,:un1:-: :-.epoja -L l ! ()"7() he1.1r 1,;~ 1
1L:1 ···JXl i ! ?kS 7890. rl1:it{C: ~1~] '1 312 (j ) X~. (··im1ii· kir...-:rk:;-~. iw, r,
Ep. fJ 1'J - ~7 :&/J
Eeorpan,
PEflY5jlJ1KA CPEHJA
MYIHYICTAPCTBO CrIO JhHHX fl0Cj108A
rocno _i:,1-111 YIBaH MpKH11, JJ.p)lcaBHH ce1<pernp
TiomTOBaHH rocn O.UHHe MpKH11y,
Y Be3H Bawer f\on11ca 6p 9!6-1/2011/9 o,'l 28 . j ym, 20 l 1. ro;IHliC, o6ar,crnrnBmvro Bac cncnd1c:
flpeMa nonauHMa Peny6mlKe XpBaTCKe OKO 68 000 mn1aje OCTaBpiHIO 110Bj)3THW4KH CTaTyc.
ffpeMa nom1cy 1-13 1996. ron_i111e, KojH cy crrpoBeJrn 1aje;1110 KoMccapHjaT 3a 1n6ern1111e H
YHXIJ,P , y Peny6111-1u1-1 Cp61-1j11 je 6opaB1-1J10 290.667 1136er1rnx nHna H 39.456 paTOM
yrpm1œ1rnx mwa H3 Peny611111<e XpBaTc1<e.
TpCHynro y cTaTycy je 56.363 1136ernHx nm.ta l13 Peny6JIHKc XpBaTcKe. To1<0M 16 ro 11mra 3a
npeKo 230.000 nm.ia je npecrno H36erJIHLIKH cTaTyc. l·laj Bclrn l(CO 11,11x ce cpopMam10
v1irrerpv1cao y Peny6nHHH Cp6HjH y1emu11 J1.0KyMe1rra Peny6JrnKc Cp6 11jc, a Ma11,11 11eo je yc 1reo
H 11a ce CTaMÔCIIO 30j) l-1HC.
Cm1 nonHCH H36ern11x nHua cy palje1rn y capam1,v1 ca YHXI (P 11 ;1ony m111 cy y urraMna11oj v1
CJleKTpO!-! CKOj Bep3Hjl1.
3a llO/.laTHe 11HC]JOj)M3llHi e MO)KCTe ce o6paTl1Tl1 ayTOMaTCKOj 06pa:t11 IIO}taTaJ<a KoMecap11jaTa 3a
1136er;1111(e 11a HMejn a)J,pecy: aop~ï)kirs.Qov.rs .
Y npHnory BaM rnaJbeMo 6poj 1136ern11x 11111.ia y Pe11yfü111uv1 Cp611j11, no ro;1v111aMa.
C IIOll1TOBaJbeM,
!
I
368
r.r;
-
p..
0
p..
PODACI SA POPISA 1996, 2001, 2004/5, 2009/10 GODINE i TRENUTNI BROJ
1~mlWllil l~i1iii~i tJ;i! ~~~~ ~• •ir 1
izbeglica ugrozcnih UKUPNO izbeglica ugrozenih UKUPNO izbeglica ugrozenih UKUPNO
(cl) Iica (c2) (cl) lica (c2) (cl) lica (c2)
_ Broj
izbeglica
(cl)
Broj ratom
ugrozenih Il UKUPNO
Iica (c2)
Broj Broj ratom EJ Broj Broj ratom ar===B=ro=j===B=ro=j=r= a=to=m===;EJ---
BBBBBBBEJB[~~~]::=== 14=, 2=9=6=:::=====:i=== 7,030 IB
BBBBBBBEJBB r-:::1~ nisu . ~i~u . ~i~u . ~l~= 15=8==:~======:
pop1s1van1 pop1s1van1 pop1s1van1
c:]~ nisu . nisu . ~i~u . L.:::.:J~ pop1s1van1 pop1s1van1 pop1s1van1
trenu~no nisu . ni~u . ~i~u .
stanJe pop1s1van1 pop1s1van1 pop1s1van1
--·-·- -·---- -- - ----
654 1,179 G
pop1mssu1vam ·IG
msu 8 popisivani
nisu 8 popisivani