TRIAL OF THREE SERBIAN WAR CRIMINALS CHARGED WITH MURDER OF 23 BOSNIAN CIVILIANS TO CONTINUE TODAY

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (February 18,2008) – At the trial of Serbian war criminals Milorad Savic, Mirko (son of Spiro) Pekez and Mirko (son of Mile) Pekez before the Bosnian State Court ,Prosecution witness Fahrija Mutic recognised Serbian war criminal Milorad Savic and said that he participated, together with other Serbian aggressor's soldiers, in the mass murder of a group of Bosnian civilians in the Bosnian village of Tisovac in September 1992,during the Serbian aggression against Bosnia.

The witness claims that the two Serbian war criminals named Pekez also participated in the mass murder.The Bosnian State Prosecutor charges Serbian war criminals Milorad Savic, Mirko (Spiro) Pekez and Mirko (Mile) Pekez with murdering of 23 Bosnian civilians from Ljoljici and Cerkazovici villages in Jajce municipality.

The indictment alleges that the three former members of the genocidal paramilitary forces of the Serbians living in Bosnia (VRS) and reserve police forces detained Bosnian civilians from these two villages, took them to Tisovac, and murdered them on September 10, 1992. According to the indictment, four Bosnian civilans survived the mass murder. Prosecution witness Fahrija Mutic was one of them.

The witness said how two Serbian aggressor's soldiers came to the house in which he and a group of other Bosnian civilians were hiding on September 10, 1992.

"Jovo Jandric and Mirko (Mile) Pekez knocked on the door and took us out. They were armed. Jovo told us that we were going to be exchanged and we believed him," the witness said, adding that he saw Serbian war criminal Milorad Savic on the way.

The witness said that the Bosnian civilians were taken by the genocidal Serbian aggressor to a meadow, where they were asked to put away their money and jewelry. He claims to have also seen Serbian war criminal Mirko (Spiro) Pekez on the way to the meadow.

"When we came to the meadow, they ordered us to stand by the abyss and then we heard shooting," the witness said, adding that he survived the shooting because his cousin's body protected him from bullets.

Second Prosecution witness Dragan Nisic said that, in September, Nedjeljko Jandric, a former member of the genocidal paramilitary formations of the Serbians living in Bosnia, told him to check the news on the mass murder.

"On our way we met a Bosnian, who told us that Jovo Jandric was among the soldiers who had done the shooting," the witness said.

The Prosecution's indictment alleges that Serbian war criminal Jovo Jandric was an accomplice in the shooting.

"After that we met a man who claimed to have survived the shooting. He also said that Mirko Pekez, Milorad Savic and Zoran Maric were among the group of soldiers who had taken them. We also met a boy who had survived the shooting and this shook me up very much. The boy had a wound made by bullet and his ear was dangling," Nisic said.

The witness added that he "saw a scary scene at the location where the execution had taken place".

"There were bodies of killed civilians lying over each other and there were many spent bullets around them," Nisic recalled.

Witness Dragan Zdrnja also recalled the scene he saw at the location of the mass murder.

"I was very scared as I had never seen so many dead people. They were all civilians. I went back in a van, together with three wounded civilians. I took them to the ambulance," Zdrnja said, adding that he heard later that Serbian war criminal Jovo Jandric was involved in the execution.

The trial of Serbian war criminals Milorad Savic, Mirko (Spiro) Pekez and Mirko (Mile) Pekez is due to continue before the Bosnian State Court today, February 18, 2008.
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