War Crimes Trial Witness Heard Gunshot

During the hearing of the “Bijeljina” case, witness Danilo Spasojevic said he heard a gunshot in the house of victims, but did not witness the crime.

Spasojevic told the court in Belgrade on Friday that he led the accused men to the house, but he never entered.

“I was standing on the stairs in front of the house with another soldier and I heard a gunshot coming from the house. Later I found out that they killed Avidic, owner of the house,” said Spasojevic.

The accused – Dragan Jovic, Zoran Djurdjevic and Alen Ristic, members of voluntary unit of the Army of Serbian Republic BiH – are alleged to have committed war crimes against civilians in Bijeljina, Bosnia.  

The indictment says that the men entered the Bosniak’s house on June 14, 1992, took money and other personal items and raped two women several times.

The accused Dragan Jovic is alleged to have killed a civilian by shooting him in the mouth. It is alleged that the trio then took the two women, naked and barefoot, and led them through the town.

According to Spasojevic’s testimony, he met the accused in a cafe in Bijeljina on the night of June 14, 1992, when they forced him to drive to the house of Avdic in order to carry out the robbery.  

“The captain put a gun to my chest threatening that he would kill me if I didn’t show the house,” said the witness.

Spasojevic could not confirm whether the women were naked when they left the house.

“I cannot remember if they were dressed, I just remember they put them in a back seat of the car and drove into town.”

Spasojevic has already been sentenced to nine years for war crimes against civilians for the same event, in January this year.

The Bijeljina case has moved from the Bijeljina District court to Serbia under the Law on International Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters.

The main hearing will continue on March 16.