Archeology in Batajnica

Between June last year and today, in Batajnica, Petrovo Selo (near Kladovo) and near the Perucac lake (close to Bajina Basta), remains of at least 716 and most likely as many as 800 persons have been excavated. There is also information about another grave in Batajnica, and another one near Vranje. It is not known whether anything has been done to identify perpetrators of crimes and their accomplices. The secrecy has been imposed in the interest of the investigation. Perhaps

by Aleksandar CIRIC

Vreme, Belgrade, FR Yugoslavia, November 7, 2002

The inclusion of archeologists in the judicial-medical procedure of exhumations and autopsy in the Center for Training of the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit (SAJ) in Batajnica, set a sort of a precedent last year. Besides, this precedent was welcomed by investigative magistrates who thereby obtained "serious and relevant data needed for presentation of evidence in the case," by anthropologists and physicians. Briefly, the first grave exhumed in Batajnica was located near the shooting gallery on the SAJ Training Grounds, in a meadow, some 300 meters from the Danube riverbank. Based on the statements of forensic scientists who worked on the grave last year, it gives the impression that it was created in a rush. An excavator was used to dig up a pit, about seven meters long and two and a half meters deep. Some twenty centimeters above the bottom of the pit five wooden railroad crossties were placed about thirty centimeters apart, forming a "grill". By the way, there are plenty of railroad crossties all over the training grounds, as the protective fence was built from them. Several car tires (also abundant, also used in the protective barrier around the shooting gallery) were pushed under thereby constructed "grill", and a plastic cover was pulled on top of everything. Then, corpses were unloaded from a truck on the plastic. The bodies were then doused with gasoline and set on fire. However, the whole attempt to destroy evidence failed. The bodies had been pulled out of water. Consequently, while in water, the body fat had turned into soaps, which later solidified, so that bodies resembled statues made of gypsum. Thus, they were hardly damaged by the fire. As far as archeologists are concerned, they managed to almost fully reconstruct the described "procedure" used to bury at least a part of the human cargo from the refrigerator truck. Given all that, it is that much more surprising that archeologists were not involved in the excavation of the grave named "Batajnica 2" last year, where remains of at least 269 bodies were found. They came out again this year to the site that is not usually associated with their profession, when the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) got actively involved in the exhumations at Batajnica. Archeologists, local and from abroad, believe that the judicial-medical procedure for exhumations ("pulling" of the bodies in the professional lingo) is insufficient, as besides the bodies and human remains it ignores everything else that may be contained in the grave. The problem is especially acute in cases of large mass graves, which are opened up using bulldozers and pickaxes, which may take bodies apart and ultimately result in "surplus" bodies and inability to estimate the number of corpses buried in the grave.

WHAT HAS BEEN FOUND Despite involvement, in human resources and, also very important, financial, of the ICMP, again this year, during the exhumations one could witness a quiet war between forensics experts and archeologists, or at least discussions on the topic whether archeologists were there merely for the sake of "pure science" and attempting to slow down exhumations, or whether they were doing a task of extreme importance for the investigation and courts.

A general impression after two seasons of exhumations in Batajnica may be described as a certain "synopsis". From the grave named "Batajnica 2" to "Batajnica 6", all of them lie next to each other, were laid on a regular grid, and it seems that even their size was not chosen by chance. First, the layout. All six newly discovered locations are concentrated at the very bottom, that is the far end of a 300m long shooting gallery, surrounded by a tall earth wall and a wooden fence. All of that lies far from the shooting zone, therefore in the "dead" zone. It seems that someone expected that the graves would never be found. The soil is very soft, sandy clay, very easy for digging, which made the archeologists' job easier - it's difficult to miss anything. "It's just like in Vinca [a pre-historic archeological site], very suitable for archeological excavations". The pit "Batajnica 2" was 20 meters long. A complete body of a large freight truck was found it. It is assumed that the truck got stuck while unloading its cargo. The excavation of the grave "Batajnica 3" started this year. The grave is 17 meters long (together with a tilted access ramp) and roughly two and a half meters deep. All corpses, altogether 39 of them, were in regulation body bags, some of them even marked by numbers. That would indicate that before transportation someone conducted a routine crime scene investigation. All of them were men, between 20 and 50 years of age. As in all the other graves, none of them were in uniform; many have traces of bullet wounds on their clothes. As in the pit "Batajnica 2" almost all the victims were dressed in two pairs of long johns, then track suits or trousers, then several layers of underwear, undershirts, one or two shirts, sweaters... Irrelevant for the courts, but it only confirms earlier impressions of the exhumation teams that the victims were actually "soldiers in plain clothing". A lower part of a truck trailer was found in "Batajnica 3".

SCENES FROM HELL It turned out that "Batajnica 4" was not a grave, but a shallow pit of irregular shape, which contained some clothing and a few random objects. Only the excavation of the pit "Batajnica 5" revealed to the archeologists that "Batajnica 4" was actually a temporary pile of soil, used to cover "Batajnica 5". The excavation of "Batajnica 5" has been going on for three months already. So far 250 bodies have been exhumed (including several women), and by the end of autopsies it is expected that the number of bodies may increase to 300. The pit is 24 meters long and it is totally full. Archeological methods revealed ten layers and it is assumed that the grave had been kept open for hours, or days, while the bodies were pushed into it in different ways - with a bulldozer from one side, unloaded from a freight truck, laid "by hand" "as pancakes", etc... ThedDiscovery of described actions demanded a detailed and relatively slow work by forensic archeologists from Canada, Great Britain and the USA, who have experience from similar operations in Bosnia-Hercegovina, Kosovo and elsewhere in the world, and four local archeologists and students who could only envy their colleagues from abroad on their equipment.

On the other hand, it was quickly established that "Batajnica 6" was not a pit used for burials, but actually the part of the site used for burning. There, on a former fire site, located less than twenty meters away from "Batajnica 5", a large amount of burnt tires, clothing items, human bones, wood... was found. A precise analysis of the findings should produce the lowest figure of likely victims whose remains ended up in Batajnica.

THIN RED LINE Towards the end of the work on "Batajnica 5" and "Batajnica 6", another pit was discovered. After the removal of the surface layer of soil, experienced archeologists did not miss a very thin red line outlining a rectangular shape on the surface. The dimensions of the rectangle roughly correspond to the size of the big pit, "Batajnica 5". The red brick color comes from an attempt to burn corpses in the pit, resulting in a thin layer of burnt soil; the dimensions of the rectangle that accurately outlines the pit's size unfortunately indicate that "Batajnica 7" may contain a large number of bodies, despite the assertions of "informers" (who said that 60 bodies would be found in "Batajnica 5", although 250 bodies have been exhumed so far).

According to unconfirmed information, ten days ago it was decided to start excavation of the pit "Batajnica 7", in spite of worsening weather conditions and uncertainty regarding the number of bodies buried in the pit. "Pressure of the international community" was apparently mentioned as one of the reasons behind the hurry although the aforementioned pressure, after the exhumation of "Batajnica 1", the first and only grave in which remains of a significant number of women and children were found, has not been as visible as at the time, last year, when Carla Del Ponte visited the grave and had her picture taken with a group of forensic experts. The reasons behind current haste could be found, but this investigation will have to wait, in the change in the way the excavations in Batajnica are financed. Namely, the expenses are paid by the district court in Belgrade, but starting with this year the funds are provided by the ICMP, through "Covic's" Coordination Center for Kosovo. Belgrade forensic scientists do not see any reason for haste, especially given a possibility that the terrain may turn into a mud pit, as has already happened in the past.

What they said

Borislav Milosevic, ambassador and brother [of Slobodan Milosevic], regarding the "discovery' of the "refrigerator truck" affair: "If the Serbian police did that systematically, I am convinced that they would have hidden their tracks, mistakes and crimes much better".

Milan Sarajlic, deputy district prosecutor, in February 2002: "District prosecutor's office in Belgrade so far hasn't received any official material from the Serbian Police in connection with mass graves found last year at the Police training grounds in Batajnica."

Rade Terzic, district prosecutor, February 24, 2002 confirmed that two requests in connection with the discovery of mass graves near Belgrade ("factual information in connection with the identity of local authority in locales where crimes took place, who was the police commander, which military units and police units were active at a certain place at certain times, whether paramilitary formations were also present, whether there are indication that victims were civilians") remain unanswered by the Police.

The Serbian Police on the other hand blames the judiciary as "the Police still hasn't been officially informed about the results of exhumations, identification of victims, causes of death, so that the Police cannot establish the location of the crime, the way the crime was committed and find the perpetrators".

One of the apparently key factors in the whole story, Police General Vlastimir Djordjevic, disappeared in thin air in May 2001. Former Police Minister Vlajko Stojiljkovic committed suicide immediately after the adoption of the federal law regulating cooperation with the Hague Tribunal. Former Secret Service (RDB) chief Radomir Markovic has testified in the Hague. In the meantime the authorities haven't revealed the names of other persons who were present at the meeting with Slobodan Milosevic when the decision regarding "asanation" ["cleaning" of the battlefield: removal of chemicals, mines and explosives that are left behind, as well as killed livestock, and killed persons] of Kosovo and Metohija was made.

Sreten Lukic, chief of the Public Security department of the Serbian Police, on May 25, 2001, responded to the question whether, as the head of the Police headquarters for Kosovo and Metohija he had been aware of Milosevic's orders regarding "asanation": "The working group continues its work. You'll be informed about everything; there is no need for speculation". Police Captain Dragan Karleusa, the chief of the working group has testified in the meantime in the Hague.

No one is talking about the alleged mass grave located "under the highway" near Vranje.

Timeline

In the night between March 20 and 21, 1999, three days before the start of the NATO bombardment, a refrigerator truck was sunk in the Danube along a "smugglers trail", some 18 kilometers upstream from Tekija.

On April 5, 1999, the truck reappeared on the surface. The police discovered that the truck was full of corpses. The then head of the Public Security Department (RJB) of the Serbian Police Vlastimir Djordjevic, after some consultations, issued orders: "Secure the location, impose full secrecy, and pull the truck out of the river". The incident was declared a top state secret.

On May 3, 2001, the Serbian Police retired at that point already former RJB chief Vlastimir DJordjevic, denying any connection with the "refrigerator truck affair". On May 7, 2001, the new RJB head Sreten Lukic formed an operative group with the task of establishing all the circumstances of the discovery of the truck containing unidentified corpses and taking the necessary legal measures based on the results of their investigation.

On May 18, 2001, deputy Prime Minister of the Serbian government Zarko Korac stated in Geneva that "the government is working hard on extending the local indictment of Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic to war crimes". Justice Minister Vladan Batic on May 19, 2001 instructed the president of the Supreme Court of Serbia and the acting state prosecutor to "get to the bottom of the ‘refrigerator truck affair'".

Natasa Kandic (Fund for Humanitarian Law) on May 23 sent a letter to the ministers of justice and police and the speaker of the Serbian parliament, informing then that a truck with corpses from the time of the NATO bombardment is located in the lake close to Kokin Brod.

On May 24, 2001, the Minister of Police Dusan Mihajlovic explained that Sreten Lukic (between June 1998 and the end of the NATO bombardment in 1999 the coordinator of the Police headquarters for Kosovo and Metohija) had been appointed to the RJB chief because "his file is spotless, and he cannot be held accountable for the crimes committed in Kosovo only based on command responsibility". Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic stated that government members were aware that Sreten Lukic "is not an angel", but that he was the best candidate for the aforementioned post.

Captain Dragan Karleusa, on May 25 announced that Slobodan Milosevic had ordered that evidence of crimes committed in Kosovo and Metohija be removed, in mid March 1999, at a meeting attended by the then Minister of Police Vlajko Stojiljkovic, the then RJB head, General Vlastimir Djordjevic, the then RDB head, General Radomir Markovic, and others. On the eve of the new Police Day, on June 2, 2001, the Minister of Police Dusan Mihajlovic announced that the exhumation of one mass grave had started and repeated that several mass graves existed on the territory of Serbia. It was also mentioned that the refrigerator truck pulled out of the Danube near Tekija contained 83 bodies and three heads, with bodies missing.

On June 7, "Vreme" published that the exhumation had started at the SAJ training grounds "May 13" near Batajnica.

Serbian Police indirectly confirmed our assertion, as well previously published information that other mass graves are to be found near Petrovo Selo, also a SAJ training grounds.

In mid-June, Minister Dusan Mihajlovic and Serbian Police confirmed that investigations had pointed out several possible mass graves in Serbia, containing at least 800 bodies. "Vreme" (issue 546, June 21) published a dramatic confession of a truck driver who had transported corpses and had in the meantime found shelter abroad, while "Timocka krimi revija" revealed that a truck driver known to them had transported about a thousand corpses from Kosovo and Metohija during the NATO bombardment.

July-August 2001: exhumations of two mass graves in Petrovo Selo and one in Batajnica produced remains of at least 110 persons. Unlike in Petrovo Selo, where out of 74 corpses there was only one female, in Batajnica remains of eight children and one fetus were found, while other victims were women and men. Personal documents [identification cards] were found on six persons, all with the same last name, Berisha, all of them from the town of Suva Reka.

September 2001: Exhumations from the mass grave near Perucac lake near the town of Bajina Basta revealed remains of at least 48 adults. In another grave near Batajnica remains of at least 269 men were found, together with the truck trailer used for their transport.

Partial Count

By the end of 2001 remains of at least 427 persons have been exhumed, mostly men (with about ten women and altogether nine children). Bodies of 74 persons were found in two graves at the training grounds Petrovo Selo (16 in one, 58 in the other), 305 in Batajnica (36 and 269, respectively), and 48 near the Perucac Lake. Bullet wounds were found on most exhumed bodies, while in some cases (Batajnica) there is evidence of a failed attempt to burn the remains. The condition of the remains makes it very difficult to establish the cause of death with any confidence. Exhumations were conducted by teams from the forensic medicine institutes in Belgrade and Nis and the Military Medical Academy, while representatives of the Hague tribunal (including one visit by Carla Del Ponte), the International Commission for Missing Persons (ICMP), and the Belgrade Fund for Humanitarian Law and other organizations participated as observers.

By early November 2002 the exhumation of another grave in Batajnica had been completed. Remains of 39 persons were found in the grave. Also, the exhumation of another, large, mass grave is nearing completion. There, remains of 250 persons have been found so far (it is estimated that up to 300 bodies may be exhumed). The authorities are deciding whether to "open" another grave, despite inclement weather. It is expected that that would be the last grave at the training grounds in Batajnica. Its dimensions indicate that it may also be large. Therefore, since the start of the "refrigerator truck affair" in early May 2001, until today, a partial count of all exhumations conducted so far includes at least 716 persons, with a possibility that that horribly large number may be increased by another 50. It is still unknown whether more bodies may be found in at least two remaining graves, one of them in Batajnica, and the other one allegedly located under the highway, somewhere close to Vranje. One has to wonder whether the latter grave will be found before or after the beginning of the planned construction of the corridor 10 highway.

In the meantime, some very important witnesses in the "refrigerator truck affair" have appeared as prosecution witnesses in the Hague, in the trial of Slobodan Milosevic, from the policeman who took photos of the corpses to the former RDB chief Radomir Markovic.

Translated on March 25, 2004