CASE DOBROVOLJAČKA: BiH Prosecution Witness a Mercenary of the "Serb Army" Beribaka!

By: A. Čorbo-Zećo

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The trial in the case known as 'Dobrovoljačka' continued today before the Court of BiH. The proceedings are against Ejup Ganić and nine other individuals, and the indictment of the BiH Prosecution relates to the events of May 3, 1992, concerning the casualties of eight killed victims in the JNA column.

Danilo Beribaka, an decorated member of the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS), testified today as a witness for the BiH Prosecution. In May 1992, he was a contract soldier – a mercenary, stationed at the Viktor Bubanj barracks. This witness, just like the one before him, Draško Đurić, was questioned in Belgrade, but the defense does not have those testimonies. 

In a very unusual atmosphere, the witness repeatedly refused to answer questions from the defense regarding the names of his superiors.

During the examination of the witness by prosecutor Mladen Vukoječić, Beribaka stated that he signed a professional contract with the JNA on March 16 and that he was a member of the Military Police at the Viktor Bubanj barracks in Sarajevo.

Regarding the critical period, he said that on May 2, 1992, they were informed that the Command of the Second Military District at the barracks had been attacked, and that they moved from the Viktor Bubanj barracks towards Bistrik in armored combat vehicles, and he was the gunner who fired at Sarajevo on May 2.

“I fired at the Elektroprivreda building, responding to gunfire, and at Skenderija, as far as I could see, one military vehicle was destroyed and a tram was burning. We arrived at the command of the Second Military District, and I stayed in the vehicle. Gunfire started from the direction of the mosque, so I returned fire with a burst,” said Beribaka.

He recounted that at one point his vehicle was hit, and he was taken out of the vehicle by Second Lieutenant Šaban Hajdarević and brought into the barracks.

“On May 3, we were informed that an exchange would take place. Material and technical resources were to be removed from the barracks. I got into a vehicle-transporter. We heard that the late Alija had arrived to negotiate with Kukanjac. My vehicle was at the rear because a track had fallen off. Through the sight, I saw Alija, Zlatko Lagumdžija, and another lady. Then Pejmišić ordered me to aim the barrels into the air,” Beribaka recounted. 

He recounted that after the military column started moving, he quickly heard gunfire. 

“They reached our vehicle and started banging to open the doors. When the door opened, gunfire was heard; I was in the turret. I saw that Dragan Pantić and Simić were wounded,” said Beribaka.

He recounted that they disarmed him and someone pointed a barrel at his head, but that Hare the special forces member recognized him and saved his life.  Later, he would say that his life was also saved by a certain Ramiz, whom the witness had saved in Ilidža.

Responding to questions from the defense and the question from lawyer Mirna Avdibegović, Beribaka stated that Ramiz was threatened by Serb forces in Ilidža.

Later, he recounted that they were taken to FIS, where they were sorted, with young soldiers separated from colonels, officers, reservists, and contract soldiers.

He said there were about 200 of them at FIS. He recounted being taken for questioning to give a statement for Jutel, but he did not give it.

Furthermore, lawyer Avdibegović, summarizing everything the witness had said, his actions with the machine gun against Elektroprivreda, the mosque, and other facilities in Sarajevo on May 2, 1992, i.e., his actions at the beginning of the siege of Sarajevo, stated that he was never prosecuted for war crimes related to what he did on May 2 in Sarajevo.

Prosecutor Vukojičić stated that it is evident that the witness is under stress, as he is reliving everything he experienced, to which lawyer Nermin Mulalić also reacted, stating that he is also under stress because he is reliving May 2, 1992, as he was in Sarajevo.

The witness stated that he knew about the state referendum on the independence of BiH and that he was aware that on April 27, 1992, an order was issued by the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the withdrawal of JNA forces.

However, he claims he did not know about the decision of April 29, 1992, to violate the Decision of the Presidency of BiH. He also did not know that any movement of the JNA during that period had to be announced to the institutions of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and does not know if they announced their movement on May 2.
All citizens of Sarajevo still remember the soldier standing on the transporter in Otoka shouting that he would hit the first building. It was Second Lieutenant Pejmišić, and Beribaka claims he was with him and that he did not want to shoot!

 

The witness admitted that he was a very well-trained soldier but did not want to say why he was decorated by the President of Republika Srpska in 1994 (Radovan Karadžić at the time, op.a.). He did not want to speak about the names of company commanders but said that there were three companies, including a special terrorist unit.

Interestingly, he stated that on that May 3, he was a member of the Yugoslav People's Army, and afterwards, the Army of Republika Srpska. According to him, from May 15, 1992, to November 15, 2022, he was a member of the Army of Republika Srpska!?

Presiding Judge Darko Samardžić asked the witness if anyone had spoken to them about any agreement before the column started moving, which the witness denied, and confirmed that they all had personal weapons. These were automatic rifles. He also had two grenades and a pistol.

I remind you that the BiH Prosecution in this process is proving that Alija Izetbegović was a free man, not a prisoner on May 3, and that the column in Dobrovoljačka was not a legitimate military target, even though the Hague Tribunal clearly established that the column was a legitimate military target.

The trial continues on February 1, 2023.