
14 July 2008 A former policeman from Zvornik claims that policemen did not participate in the capture and detention of Bosniaks in "Novi izvor."
As
indicated by Defence witness Vlado Delic, members of the Public Safety Station
in Zvornik did not take part in the capture of Bosniaks and detention of those
people in the offence court and "Novi izvor" buildings in 1992.
According to him this was done by paramilitary groups, which "dominated" the
town at the time.
"The
paramilitary groups were dominant at the time of lawlessness. I think that the
Serb population was scared of them, because they feared nothing and nobody.
As far as I know the Zvornik police did not capture or detain anybody," said
Delic, former property crimes inspector with the Public Safety Station in
Zvornik.
Sreten Lazarevic, Dragan Stojanovic, Mile Markovic and Slobodan
Ostojic, former members of the reserve police forces with the Public Safety
Station in Zvornik are charged with having participated in the detention and beating
of civilians in the offence court and "Novi izvor" buildings in 1992 and 1993.
As stated by the witness, "in late June or early July
1992" special police members came from Banja Luka to Zvornik. They arrested
"about 100 members of paramilitary groups," which led to the "normalisation" of the
situation in the town.
Delic said he learned about the detention of
Bosniaks when Sreten Lazarevic told him that Sejfo Cirak, an old friend of his,
was looking for him, but he said he did not know who told him that this man was
detained in "Novi izvor".
"Upon my arrival, a policeman brought Sejfo to
see me. He told me that he needed some heart medication and he asked me to
bring them to him. Sejfo then told me that members of a paramilitary group had
captured him and brought him there," Delic said.
Delic added that he did
not know why the Bosniaks were detained in the "Novi izvor" building, but he
could guess that this was because "of their ethnic affiliation."
The
witness said that he did not know who the manager of "Novi izvor" was, adding
that, as far as he knew, Lazarevic and Markovic were "reserve
policemen."
The trial is due to continue on August 12, 2008.
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