28 Oct 2010 / 09:59
A former crime technician with the Sarajevo police, testifying at the trial of wartime Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, says his life was “constantly in danger” when he performed investigations into shelling incidents.
A former crime technician with the Sarajevo police, testifying at the trial of wartime Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, says his life was “constantly in danger” when he performed investigations into shelling incidents.
Merima Husejnovic
Protected witness KDZ 166, who began testifying for the Hague prosecution on October 20, told the court he performed investigations into shelling incidents in Sarajevo under difficult conditions.
Protected witness KDZ 166, who began testifying for the Hague prosecution on October 20, told the court he performed investigations into shelling incidents in Sarajevo under difficult conditions.
“We performed the investigations quickly and under huge pressure. My job was to photograph the place, make a sketch and pray to God that I wouldn't be killed,” KDZ 166 said, adding his crew sometimes had to wait for ten days before it could visit a crime scene due to “heavy shelling”.
The witness said that this was the case with an incident that happened on June 16, 1995, when a projectile exploded at Trg međunarodnog prijateljstva in Alipasino polje, which was “a residential area” of Sarajevo.
“Our lives were in danger while we conducted the investigation. The place is located near the frontlines. It could be seen from the hills held by the aggressor,” the witness said.
Radovan Karadzic, former president of Republika Srpska and Supreme Commander of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, is on trial before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for genocide, crimes against humanity and violation of the laws and customs of war committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995.
Among other things, the prosecution considers him responsible for a sniping and shelling campaign conducted in Sarajevo. The indictment mentions 15 shelling incidents which resulted in the murder and wounding of dozens of people.
Among the incidents was one that took place on June 16, 1995, when a modified air bomb, “fired from the territories controlled by the VRS in Lukavica”, exploded at Trg međunarodnog prijateljstva, wounding seven people.
Among other things, the prosecution considers him responsible for a sniping and shelling campaign conducted in Sarajevo. The indictment mentions 15 shelling incidents which resulted in the murder and wounding of dozens of people.
Among the incidents was one that took place on June 16, 1995, when a modified air bomb, “fired from the territories controlled by the VRS in Lukavica”, exploded at Trg međunarodnog prijateljstva, wounding seven people.
Looking at a photograph he made during the course of the investigation into this shelling, the witness said one could see how people look “small in comparison to the size of the projectile crater”.
“Had the projectile hit a building, it would have probably destroyed it. This is a residential building. Four or five families live on each floor. You can imagine how many people would have been killed,” witness KDZ 166 said.
During the course of cross-examination Karadzic asked the witness why the crime scene photographs and sketches, which he made, did not show the victims themselves. KDZ 166 explained that, in most cases, “survivors acted automatically and fought for survival”, so they transported the killed and wounded people to hospitals and morgues.
“One could see splashes of blood and body parts, clothes, shoes... It was obvious that you had come to a horrifying place. In these situations you see people lying in their own blood and screaming.
"This is a life or death situation. The key thing is to offer medical assistance to the wounded. It is a fight for life. Whether someone lives or dies is a matter of seconds. It is as simple as that. You are a physician, you should know this,” the witness explained.
"This is a life or death situation. The key thing is to offer medical assistance to the wounded. It is a fight for life. Whether someone lives or dies is a matter of seconds. It is as simple as that. You are a physician, you should know this,” the witness explained.
The indictee said he had studied medicine at Sarajevo University, adding he could not understand why someone would drag dead and wounded people. He said that “Sarajevo medicine does not deserve such an embarrassment”, because it “was good medicine”.
Karadzic questioned the witness on other incidents mentioned in the indictment, particularly those involving modified air bombs. Witness KDZ 166 said the air bombs made much bigger craters than other grenades, adding the difference between them was “enormous and visible”.
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