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Trbic: Witness Statements Denied

28 November 2007  The Defence and the indictee deny the allegations of two Hague tribunal investigators who said that Milorad Trbic helped them in investigations conducted in the Srebrenica area.

On the second day of his testimony, Alistair Graham - the first prosecution 
witness to appear at the trial of Milorad Trbic - has answered questions from 
the defence.

Attorney Milan Trbojevic said that he denies this witness' statement who, 
inter alia, claimed, that Trbic showed him the locations of some mass graves in 
the vicinity of Srebrenica and that the indictee spoke about his role in the 
crimes committed in July 1995.

The indictment alleges that Trbic was assistant commander for security of 
Zvornik Brigade with the Republika Srpska Army (VRS) and that he participated, 
together with other members of the army and police, in the execution of more 
than 7,000 men in July 1995.

Answering the defence's question, Graham - an investigator with the 
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) - denied that 
Trbic was promised that his family would be protected, through a witness 
protection programme, if Trbic told the truth.

The indictee examined the witness saying that he could not confirm his previous 
statements because they were given "under pressure and they were forced". 
ccording to Trbic, Graham told him that an indictment would not be filed against
him. The witness denied giving any sort of guarantee or making any offers to 
Trbic.

Second prosecution witness Bruce Bursik, who is also an ICTY investigator, 
described how he took photos of some locations. He claimed that Trbic had told 
him, during their joint visit to those places, that they were execution 
locations or mass graves.

The witness said that Trbic did not provide information about new locations, 
because they actually visited the locations which had already been known to them.
Bursik denied the indictee's allegation that the investigators actually showed 
him these locations.

Third witness Miodrag Dragutinovic, the former assistant commander of 
Operational and Educational Affairs HQ with the VRS Zvornik Brigade, confirmed 
that Trbic was assistant commander for security of that brigade.

The indictment alleges that, on July 16, 1995, Trbic was a duty officer in the 
Zvornik brigade headquarters, and, in that capacity, he "enabled, coordinated 
and performed communication among the VRS officers who implemented the operation 
consisting of arrest, detention, transport, execution and burial of Bosniak men,
capable of performing military service, from Srebrenica".

Dragutinovic said that it was possible for an operations officer on duty to take 
the commanding role and that, "if there is not enough time to do otherwise", the 
orders may have been given orally.

Dragutinovic also said that, at the meeting attended by the commanders and 
Bosnian Serb army general Ratko Mladic held in July 13, "it was concluded that 
the 28th Squad of the Army of BiH presented a danger" and therefore the Zvornik 
Brigade headed towards Zepa area "as per an order issued by Mladic".

The prosecutor showed the witness a document, which he identified as "Brigade 
Commander Vinko Pandurevic's report submitted to the headquarters". The witness 
read some extracts from the document which indicate that "the municipality of 
Zvornik was crowded by Turks from Srebrenica" and that "about 3,000 Turks" were 
located in the school buildings, while "7,000 of them were in the forests".

The trial is due to continue on December 3.