Shelling of Knin shown at Gotovina trial

Footage of the shelling of Knin has been shown at the war crimes trial of former Croatian General Ante Gotovina. The footage recorded on August 4, 1995, was shown during the examination-in-chief of protected witness no.6. Shelling of Knin shown at Gotovina trial In response, Gotovina’s defense showed a recording of Slobodan Milosevic’s famous speech at Gazimestan on June 27, 1989 and footage of the “people’s rallies“ in the village of Kosovo in Dalmatia 11 days later. Despite the objections of the defense teams of the three Croatian generals charged with crimes in Operation Storm in 1995 and its aftermath, the Trial Chamber this morning granted protective measures for a prosecution witness testifying under the pseudonym “6“, and using image and voice distortion. The Trial Chamber reached this decision after an hour and a half in private session. After the witness confirmed the accuracy of his statement given to the OTP, it was tendered into evidence and the prosecutor read out a summary. On the morning of August 4, 1995, the artillery attack on Knin woke the witness up. The building he lived in was hit and he and his neighbors took shelter in the basement. The witness remained in the basement until midday, when he set off in the direction of the garage where his car was parked. On his way there, he saw buildings that had been hit and frightened people running around looking for shelter. He drove to the village where his parents lived and tried to persuade them to leave. They refused at first, but then joined a refugee column the next day. On an aerial photo of Knin, the witness marked the route he had taken that day from his house to the garage, noting the location of buildings that had been hit. The prosecutor then went on to show a 10-minute excerpt from a documentary made by the Zastava film studio. The documentary was directed by Colonel Milivoj Nestorovic who happened to be in Knin on August 4, 1995, with his cameraman. They filmed the artillery attack on Knin, the shell impacts, buildings on fire, traces of shell impacts on concrete, and clouds of smoke rising up from many parts of the town. The prosecutor wanted only the images and the noise of shelling to be tendered into evidence, omitting the author’s propagandist, melodramatic and quasi-literary commentary. However, the commentary, along the lines of “blood-thirsty Ustasha specter of death…attacks the sleeping town of peace and serenity“ could not be deleted from the tapes without removing the sound of shelling. The prosecution argues that the shelling of Knin was aimed at sewing panic that would cause the population to flee the town. At the beginning of his cross-examination, Luka Misetic, Gotovina’s defense counsel, showed video footage of his own to counter the prosecution’s. First he showed a recording of the famous speech Milosevic made on 28 June, 1989 at Gazimestan, where he predicted that “new battles“ would be fought, not ruling out “those fought with weapons.“ Misetic also showed a recording of a gathering held eleven days later in the village of Kosovo near Knin. Several thousand Serbs from Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo and Montenegro assembled there, singing Serbian nationalist songs, chanting “Slobo the Serb“, vowing to follow him “to Tirana if necessary.“ What Misetic was getting at remains to be seen as the cross-examination continues tomorrow. Today’s hearing ended immediately after the recording of the “people’s rally“ in the village of Kosovo in Dalmatia was shown.

Shelling of Knin shown at Gotovina trial

In response, Gotovina’s defense showed a recording of Slobodan Milošević’s famous speech at Gazimestan on June 27, 1989 and footage of the “people’s rallies“ in the village of Kosovo in Dalmatia 11 days later.

Despite the objections of the defense teams of the three Croatian generals charged with crimes in Operation Storm in 1995 and its aftermath, the Trial Chamber this morning granted protective measures for a prosecution witness testifying under the pseudonym “6“, and using image and voice distortion. The Trial Chamber reached this decision after an hour and a half in private session.

After the witness confirmed the accuracy of his statement given to the OTP, it was tendered into evidence and the prosecutor read out a summary. On the morning of August 4, 1995, the artillery attack on Knin woke the witness up.

The building he lived in was hit and he and his neighbors took shelter in the basement. The witness remained in the basement until midday, when he set off in the direction of the garage where his car was parked.

On his way there, he saw buildings that had been hit and frightened people running around looking for shelter. He drove to the village where his parents lived and tried to persuade them to leave. They refused at first, but then joined a refugee column the next day.

On an aerial photo of Knin, the witness marked the route he had taken that day from his house to the garage, noting the location of buildings that had been hit. The prosecutor then went on to show a 10-minute excerpt from a documentary made by the Zastava film studio.

The documentary was directed by Colonel Milivoj Nestorović who happened to be in Knin on August 4, 1995, with his cameraman. They filmed the artillery attack on Knin, the shell impacts, buildings on fire, traces of shell impacts on concrete, and clouds of smoke rising up from many parts of the town.

The prosecutor wanted only the images and the noise of shelling to be tendered into evidence, omitting the author’s propagandist, melodramatic and quasi-literary commentary. However, the commentary, along the lines of “blood-thirsty Ustasha specter of death…attacks the sleeping town of peace and serenity“ could not be deleted from the tapes without removing the sound of shelling.

The prosecution argues that the shelling of Knin was aimed at sewing panic that would cause the population to flee the town.

At the beginning of his cross-examination, Luka Mišetić, Gotovina’s defense counsel, showed video footage of his own to counter the prosecution’s. First he showed a recording of the famous speech Milošević made on 28 June, 1989 at Gazimestan, where he predicted that “new battles“ would be fought, not ruling out “those fought with weapons.“

Mišetić also showed a recording of a gathering held eleven days later in the village of Kosovo near Knin. Several thousand Serbs from Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo and Montenegro assembled there, singing Serbian nationalist songs, chanting “Slobo the Serb“, vowing to follow him “to Tirana if necessary.“

What Mišetić was getting at remains to be seen as the cross-examination continues tomorrow. Today’s hearing ended immediately after the recording of the “people’s rally“ in the village of Kosovo in Dalmatia was shown.