Momcilo Krajisnik and his defense claim that prosecution witness Milorad Davidovic "invents things" and "lies". The accused has asked for the persons the witness referred to in his testimony to be called to The Hague. He claims those persons now say they have not done or said the things Davidovic testified they had


At the end of the hearing today, Momcilo Krajisnik asked for a "small mini-trial" to be organized for prosecution witness Milorad Davidovic. As Krajisnik explained, persons Davidovic referred to in his testimony would be called to testify at that trial, as they have given statements to the defense, challenging his testimony. The judges, however, rejected Krajisnik's proposal for a "mini-trial" of the prosecution witness.

Milorad Davidovic was the police chief in Bijeljina from 1989 to 1991. He was then removed from office because he refused to join the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS), as he claims. He was transferred to Belgrade and made the chief inspector of the federal Secretariat of the Interior. In April 1992, Mihalj Kertes, deputy interior minister of Serbia, sent him to Bosnia as a temporary assignment. This was the time when the war was about to start there.

Last week, in his direct examination Davidovic testified about the police and paramilitary units wreaking havoc in eastern Bosnia in the spring of 1992 and about the ethnic cleansing there. He claimed he had seen a document signed by Momcilo Krajisnik authorizing Vojkan Djurkovic from Bijeljina to carry out "humane relocation" of Muslims. Davidovic also said he had spoken about that document with Dragoljub Micic, SDS deputy. Micic told him that he had asked Krajisnik about the "authorizations for humane relocation" once, and that Krajisnik had scolded him and told him "to stay out of it."

Krajisnik's defense counsel Chrissa Loukas put it to the witness during her cross-examination that "such a document doesn't exist", but Davidovic did not change his testimony. Loukas then said the defense investigators had in the meantime spoken to Micic and that he denied he had ever discussed "humane relocation" with Krajisnik. Davidovic maintained that his version was true, adding that it was quite clear to him why Micic would want to deny having said that in 1992, because he was "a member of the team that was actually doing it" and continued to be active in the SDS.

The defense counsel accused Davidovic several times of "inventing things" and "lying", but the witness did not budge. She also accused him that he "made it possible for Muslims to leave Bijeljina for money", thanks to his position in the police. The witness confirmed that he had indeed helped Muslims escape the persecution, abuse, arrests and murder, but claimed he had never taken any money for it, not even "for a cup of coffee."

The defense will probably continue the cross-examination of the witness on Wednesday, as their investigators are still investigating Davidovic and they are still waiting for the results of that investigation. Instead of a "mini-trial", as Krajisnik was told today, he will be given an opportunity to put a few questions to Davidovic following the cross-examination by the defense.

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