Koricanske stijene: Massacre at Koricani
18 March 2010 Velimir Vrabicic claims there were "travel authorizations" issued in the name of Intervention Squad members from Prijedor, who were supposed to escort the convoy of civilians on August 21, 1992, adding that he found out on the following day that "someone killed somebody" at Koricanske stijene.
"Squad Commander Miroslav Paras informed us about the convoy. Prior to the departure, travel authorizations were issued in the name of convoy escorts. When the policemen came back, nobody said what had happened. The atmosphere was such that we knew some of us had done that, but we did not know who it was. (...) I think a list of the escorts was made on August 22, because our superiors asked for it," Vrabicic, a former member of the First Interventions Squad with the Public Safety Station in Prijedor, said.
This witness said he was supposed to escort the convoy of civilians, but Paras told him not to go, because "sometimes he thought I was not able to execute some tasks".
Vrabicic was testifying for the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the trial of Sasa Zecevic, Radoslav Knezevic, Petar Civcic, Branko Topola and Marinko Ljepoja, former members of the First Interventions Squad, who are charged with participation in escorting a convoy of civilians traveling from Prijedor to Travnik on August 21, 1992.
During the journey, members of the Squad participated in the selection of about 200 male civilians, whom they then shot at Koricanske stijene.
Witness Vrabicic said he went to Koricanske stijene, together with other members of the Interventions Squad, "a couple of weeks" later, adding that they "buried the bodies of the killed people".
"When I came to the location, I saw that a massacre had been committed. There was a pile of 50 or 60 bodies. We also found some corpses by the river. Prior to our arrival, somebody had already set them on fire. I heard they had poured some acid on them. There was an intense smell, but we managed to bury most of them," Vrabicic said, adding that "a miner" was with them on that occasion.
The witness said that the following people were members of the Interventions Squad: Radoslav Knezevic, Sasa Zecevic, Marinko Ljepoja, Damir Ivankovic, Zeljko Stojnic, Drasko Krndija, protected witnesses K1 and K3, Rajko Basrak, Darko Mrdja, Miljan Zubanovic and Petar Civcic, whom he identified in court, saying he was "Commander of the First Squad".
The witness told the Court he thought that either Dule Jankovic or Milutin Cadjo was "Commander of the Police Station in Prijedor".
After having admitted guilt, Damir Ivankovic was sentenced, in July 2009, by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina to 14 years in prison. The Hague Tribunal sentenced Darko Mrdja to 17 years for participation in the crime committed at Koricanske stijene. Gordan Djuric and Ljubisa Cetic admitted guilt before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. They were sentenced to eight and 13 years in prison respectively.
The trial of Zeljko Stojnic and Dusan Jankovic, who are charged, together with Zoran Babic, Milorad Radakovic and Milorad Skrbic, with the same crime, is ongoing before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The trial is due to continue on March 25, 2010.
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