War crimes witness, defendant report threats
A witness in the ongoing war crimes trial of the former Škorpioni (Scorpions) paramilitaries says he is afraid for his personal safety.
Wednesday, 12.11.2008.
16:03
A witness in the ongoing war crimes trial of the former Skorpioni (Scorpions) paramilitaries says he is afraid for his personal safety. Nikola Kovacevic, himself a former member of the unit, told the court on Wednesday he has received death threats over the phone. War crimes witness, defendant report threats The group of men being tried was charged with killing 14 ethnic Albanians in Podujevo on March 28, 1999. Kovacevic, who testified before the Belgrade District Court's War Crimes Chamber, could not specify who issuing the threats, but told the judges he is "afraid of everyone, including the families of the defendants". He also said the family of the first-accused Zeljko Djukic has been subjected to harassment, and that Djukic's wife, residing in Sid, reported this to the police. Presiding Judge Snezana Nikolic-Garotic instructed the witness to address her personally should he feel that the court must intervene to protect him. Djukic himself said he was aware of the threats against his family, and said his children were frightened, "believing that someone follows them in a car when they go to school". When the judges asked him whether he was afraid and of whom, the defendant answered, "of everyone". He also said that "everybody knows everything in Sid, but they are not speaking", and continued to tell the court that Goran Stoparic told him the Podujevo civilians were shot at by Sasa Cvjetan, Dejan Demirovic, Dragan Medic and Dragan Borojevic. Cvjetan has already been tried, found guilty and in 2005 convicted to 20 years in prison, with Stoparic being one of the key witnesses in that trial. Now Djukic, Dragan Medic, Dragan Borojevic and Miodrag Solaja have been charged by the prosecution, with the incitement against them alleging that they shot at 19 civilians, all members of the Gashi family, in the yard of their house, killing 14. Five children survived with serious injuries, after MUP's Special Anti-Terrorist Unit (SAJ), arriving at the scene in the wake of the massacre, evacuated them to a hospital. The MUP command decided to withdraw the paramilitaries back to central Serbia after learning about the incident. The unit was operating in Kosovo as one of the MUP reserve formations.
War crimes witness, defendant report threats
The group of men being tried was charged with killing 14 ethnic Albanians in Podujevo on March 28, 1999.Kovačević, who testified before the Belgrade District Court's War Crimes Chamber, could not specify who issuing the threats, but told the judges he is "afraid of everyone, including the families of the defendants".
He also said the family of the first-accused Željko Đukić has been subjected to harassment, and that Đukić's wife, residing in Šid, reported this to the police.
Presiding Judge Snežana Nikolić-Garotić instructed the witness to address her personally should he feel that the court must intervene to protect him.
Đukić himself said he was aware of the threats against his family, and said his children were frightened, "believing that someone follows them in a car when they go to school".
When the judges asked him whether he was afraid and of whom, the defendant answered, "of everyone".
He also said that "everybody knows everything in Šid, but they are not speaking", and continued to tell the court that Goran Stoparić told him the Podujevo civilians were shot at by Saša Cvjetan, Dejan Demirović, Dragan Medić and Dragan Borojević.
Cvjetan has already been tried, found guilty and in 2005 convicted to 20 years in prison, with Stoparić being one of the key witnesses in that trial.
Now Đukić, Dragan Medić, Dragan Borojević and Miodrag Šolaja have been charged by the prosecution, with the incitement against them alleging that they shot at 19 civilians, all members of the Gashi family, in the yard of their house, killing 14.
Five children survived with serious injuries, after MUP's Special Anti-Terrorist Unit (SAJ), arriving at the scene in the wake of the massacre, evacuated them to a hospital.
The MUP command decided to withdraw the paramilitaries back to central Serbia after learning about the incident.
The unit was operating in Kosovo as one of the MUP reserve formations.
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