Dobrovoljačka Case: New Prosecution Witness Who Remembered 'Lilies and Berets' After 30 Years

(Patria) - The trial in the Dobrovoljačka case against Ejup Ganić and others continued at the Court of BiH, with Goran Gajić testifying, another in a series of witnesses who suddenly remembered green berets and lilies worn by civilians who intercepted the convoy in Dobrovoljačka Street, although they never mentioned such precise descriptions in their previous statements.

Thus, in 2011, Gajić gave statements twice, to the BiH Prosecutor's Office and the RS Ministry of Internal Affairs in Banja Luka, where he did not mention berets or lilies, but today he told prosecutor Mladen Vukojičić that the individuals were dressed in various ways, but most of them wore berets.

At the insistence of the defense for Gajić to state what the truth was among these different versions, the witness said that no one asked him about berets and lilies at the time. However, lawyer Senad Pizović pointed out that he was asked identical questions in 2011, as well as today, which was to describe the event of May 3, 1992, without too many follow-up questions.

Gajić, by the way, served his military service during that period and said that on May 3rd, they set off by trucks from the 'Jusuf Džonlić' barracks in Alipašino Polje towards Lukavica, from where they were supposed to assist in the evacuation of the Second Military District in Bistrik.

Gajić said there were approximately 30 trucks in the convoy, and upon arriving at Bistrik, he saw Alija Izetbegović with his daughter. When asked by the judge if he knew that Alija Izetbegović was with them in the convoy from Lukavica, Gajić answered negatively.

He then recounted that during the passage through Dobrovoljačka, the convoy was stopped twice, and the second time, a person approached the vehicle with a Zolja rocket launcher and forced them to get out of the vehicles and lie down on the asphalt.

“Gunfire was heard in the front part of the convoy. Then a person came and announced over a megaphone that this was the Territorial Defense of BiH, and that the individuals who disarmed them headed towards the upper part of the convoy,” Gajić said.

However, defense lawyers pointed out that the witness stated in 2011 that 'the individuals who disarmed them and lined them up on the asphalt fled when the TO BiH arrived'. Therefore, it was requested that the witness clarify which of these was true and whether his memory was better in 2011 or today.

Gajić tried to clarify that he didn't know how things were formulated, but he confirmed to lawyer Pizović that the person carrying the Zolja was a civilian. He also confirmed that the person firing the pump-action shotgun was a civilian, and that there was chaos.

He also confirmed that the individuals presented as TO helped them get up from the asphalt and transported the wounded to the hospital. The witness confirmed that he saw Zoran Anđić and Predrag Miljić wounded, that he personally saw Anđić hopping on one leg, but that he later met Miljić (a traffic policeman) who confirmed to him that they were wounded, as he was unsure whether Miljić or Anđić was hopping on one leg.

Lawyer Mirna Avdibegović asked the witness to clarify what was said to the soldiers before they left Lukavica for Bistrik.

“We were told that we were entering a territory of about 4.5 kilometers that was not under JNA control,” Gajić said.

Does that mean that the place where you were was under JNA control, Avdibegović asked further?

“Yes, both where I was and in Lukavica,” Gajić added.

Presiding Judge Darko Samardžić asked the witness if anyone was mistreated in the physical education hall where they stayed before leaving for Lukavica.

“Not in the hall. But they took all the officers for questioning down the stairs. They took me too. I received a few slaps downstairs. I don't know if everyone was interrogated,” Gajić added.

The continuation of the trial is scheduled for December 27, 2023.