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Djukic: Severe trauma

Kapija Tuzla

17 June 2008  A witness, who survived the massacre at Kapija in Tuzla, recalls the moment when the shell hit the town.

Prosecution witness Amra Ponjavic recalls the massacre she witnessed in Tuzla on May 25, 1995. She said that, besides the physical pain, she still suffers from "a severe trauma" as a consequence of that event.

"It was one of a few quiet and sunny days that year. Me and my friends went to Kapija. The music was loud, but my friend said he heard an air attack alarm. I stood up, wanting to leave the place. At that moment a shell hit the ground. I remember the light, tingling in my ears, smoke and dust. All of a sudden it was all dark around me. It was as if I stayed by the table alone and everyone else lied on the floor," the witness said.

Ponjavic testified at the trial of Novak Djukic, former commander of Ozren Tactical Group with the Republika Srpska Army, VRS. The Prosecution charges him with having ordered the shelling of Tuzla on May 25, 1995, when 71 people were killed and several hundred were wounded at Tuzlanska kapija.

Ponjavic recalled that, after having noticed that she was wounded and feeling afraid of "another shell," she started walking away from the place. She said that, as she was leaving Kapija, she saw that a two-year old son of her friends had been killed and she saw many wounded people.

"I went to 'Gradina' hospital together with two wounded boys. The doctors did not know what had happened. A few minutes later, the hospital was crowded with patients. Corridors were full of wounded people," Ponjavic told the Court.

Charles Bratz testified as Prosecution witness. After the shell hit Kapija, Bratz, former deputy commander of the North-East Sector with UNPROFOR, "coordinated the investigation" on May 26, 1995. As he explained to the Court the investigation was conducted by UNPROFOR experts and a team from Sarajevo and Tuzla.

According to this witness, he visited the location which was hit by the mortar on that day. He also visited the hospital where there were "about 200 young people," as well as the morgue to which the killed people were transported.

The recording, showing the visit to those locations, was presented by the Prosecution in the courtroom. The mentioned recording was included as evidence. The recording shows a room, in which there were many killed people and children, as well as wounded persons, whose body parts were missing.
As Bratz said, three days after the shelling, on May 28, 1995, a joint report was made and he signed it.

"The report contained a clear conclusion saying that it was a 130mm shell and the attacks were intentional and had Tuzla town as its target. They may not have targeted the downtown area but they targeted the town for sure," Bratz explained.

The report was presented by the Prosecution as evidence, together with numerous attachments, such as the drawings of the location hit by the shell, photographs, list of the killed, drawing of the shell and the weapons, as well as a map, showing "the location from which the shell had probably been fired."

This location was not mentioned in the courtroom, although the report makes a reference to that location.

The indictment alleges that Djukic ordered the Artillery Squad, situated in Panjik village on mount Ozren, to shell Tuzla, using 130mm cannons.

The trial is due to continue on June 24, when four Prosecution witnesses will be examined.