Radenko Novakovic, defence witness of Jovica Stanisic

At the beginning of the cross-examination of defense witness Radenko Novakovic, prosecutor Adam Weber contested Novakovic’s claim that the Serbian State Security Service (DB) dealt with all aspects of extremism in the 1990s. The prosecution contends that the operation was selective and targeted only the extremists that were a threat to the ruling party in Serbia. Novakovic, a former operative of the Uzice office of the Serbian DB, is testifying as a defense witness of his former boss, Jovica Stanisic. Stanisic and his erstwhile deputy Franko Simatovic are on trial for crimes committed by the police and paramilitary formations against non-Serbs in Croatia and BH.

The prosecutor showed several documents which indicate that a DB-run operation code-named Tompson in the first half of the 1990s was aimed at eliminating the militant wings of the political parties that could be a threat to the ‘ruling party’ and to prevent the illegal arming of Muslims in Sandzak. The witness said that everybody who threatened the Serbian constitutional order was targeted by the operation. The prosecutor then brought up evidence showing that in October 1993 the DB filed criminal complaints against nine Muslims who were found to be in possession of arms. In 1994, 40 of the 49 arrested members of the Serbian paramilitary formation White Eagles were released. The witness replied that the information about the White Eagles was forwarded to the colleagues from the Public Security Service.

According to the intelligence documents showed by the prosecutor, by 1992 the Serbian DB knew about the White Eagles’ crimes. The prosecutor wanted to know why the arrests were delayed by two years. Novakovic answered that the intelligence had to be ‘processed’: it took time to gather the intelligence in order to ensure successful prosecution of the group members. A DB document from June 1992 states that the ‘activities of the White Eagles’ boil down to slaughtering and killing of Muslims. This prompted judge Orie to ask the witness if anything was done about it. The witness said that the White Eagles committed most of their crimes in Visegrad, which was not under the jurisdiction of the Serbian MUP.

The two cousins Milan and Sredoje Lukic were the most notorious members of the White Eagles unit. The Tribunal sentenced Milan and Sredoje Lukic to life in prison and 30 years respectively for brutal crimes against Muslims in Visegrad, including the burning of about 140 women, children and elderly at two locations in the town. The prosecutor showed a report from the Uzice office confirming that the Serbian DB had intelligence about Sredoje Lukic’s movements from Visegrad to various towns in Serbia. The prosecutor’s documents also show that the Serbian DB was aware of the killing of Muslims and other rapes and murders committed by Lukic’s group. The witness denied this.

Yesterday, Novakovic testified that he personally interviewed Milan Lukic in October 1992 after Lukic was arrested for illegal possession of arms and false documents. Today, Novakovic was unable to tell the prosecutor why Lukic was released some days later. Novakovic was only able to say he handed the suspect over to an employee of the Public Security Service. Novakovic confirmed that there was ‘initial intelligence’ indicating that Lukic was involved in the kidnapping of Muslim civilians in the village of Sjeverin. Nevertheless, the indictment for the crime was issued in Belgrade ten years later, in 2002. At that time, Jovica Stanisic was no longer the chief of the State Security Service, the prosecutor pointed out. The witness wasn’t able to say whence the delay, explaining that after he interviewed Lukic he no longer dealt with the issue.

Radenko Novakovic will complete his evidence tomorrow.

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