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Ivanovic: "Goods" in Warehouse

Kravica

03 December 2009  Prosecution witness Ranko Simic recalls the events of July 13, 1995, when he transported dead bodies from the Agricultural Cooperative in Kravica to a grave in Glogova village.

"I cannot say for sure how many corpses there were. The loading of those corpses onto trucks lasted for a long time, perhaps two or three hours. All of them were males of various ages. They were mostly dressed in civilian clothes. We drove them to Glogova, where a big grave had already been dug," said Simic, who was assigned, as part of his civil duty, with the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, as a driver in July 1995.

He said he was given this task by Momir Nikolic, a former VRS officer, who was sentenced, before the Hague Tribunal, to 20 years in prison for crimes against humanity committed against Bosniaks in Srebrenica in July 1995.

Simic said that this was not the only task given to him by Nikolic. He said that, three months after the loading of corpses in the Agricultural Cooperative in Kravica, the grave in Glogova village was opened and all the bodies were transferred to Zeleni jadar.

"A man has to do some things, particularly if he lives in fear. Nobody asks you if you want to. I do not like recalling those events. I shall never forget the machines digging the bodies and soil," the witness said at the trial of Zeljko Ivanovic, known as Arkan, a former member of the Second Special Police Squad from Sekovici.

The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina charges Ivanovic with having participated, on July 13, 1995, in the murder of more than 1,000 men in the Agricultural Cooperative warehouses in Kravica. The indictment alleges that, after the prisoners had been detained, he formed a semi-circle, together with other members of the Second Squad, and started shooting the prisoners in the hangar through the open doors.   

Dragomir Vasic, who was Chief of the Security Services Center in Zvornik in 1995, testified at this hearing. He said he spoke to Ratko Mladic on July 13, 1995, when he informed him that the VRS was deploying its forces in Zepa and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska was taking over control of Srebrenica.

"I objected to this right away. The situation in the Srebrenica surroundings was chaotic in those days. I did not have information on how many Bosniaks were hiding in the woods and whether they were armed," the witness recalled, adding that he visited Miroslav Deronjic, who had spoken to Radovan Karadzic beforehand, later that day.  

"'The goods have to be stored in the warehouse!' - this was an order Deronjic had received. This meant that all prisoners had to be detained. Later on Ljubisa Beara came and informed Deronjic and me that Ratko Mladic told him that all prisoners had to be executed. I did not believe him. Honestly, I thought he was making it up," the witness said.

Miroslav Deronjic admitted his guilt, before the Hague Tribunal, for crimes committed against Srebrenica residents. He was sentenced to ten years in prison. He died in a prison in Sweden where he was serving his sentence.

Ljubisa Beara, former Chief of Security with the Main VRS Headquarters, is awaiting the pronouncement of his verdict at the Hague. The trial of Radovan Karadzic, before the Hague Tribunal, started recently. Ratko Mladic, former Commander of the VRS Main Headquarters, is on the run.  

The next hearing is due to take place on December 17, when the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina will invite one more witness.