BRANKA TRIFKOVIĆ - SOLE SURVIVOR OF ČEMERNO MASSACRE

ČEMERNO, JUNE 9 /SRNA/ - Branka Trifković, the only survivor of the Čemerno massacre near Ilijaš 34 years ago, saved herself by sheer chance by pretending to be dead, wounded in both legs, lying among her murdered relatives.

Trifković stated in her statement that on that fateful morning, among the Muslim-Croat attackers, she recognized a Muslim man, about 32 years old, from the village of Korita, with the surname Spahić, according to the Atlas of Crimes Against Serbs in the Defense-Patriotic War, authored and published by the Republic Center for War Research, War Crimes and the Search for Missing Persons.

She stated that when the shooting in the village began, one of her brothers, Branko, who was slightly wounded while fleeing, ran out of the house.

According to her, the criminals called all the household members to leave the house so that they could immediately eliminate them.

"We started to leave one by one, but as each person left the house, they shot at him from close range. I would like to point out that, in addition to my family members, my aunt Mirosava Bunjevac, her sons Miloš and Ranko, and Miloš's wife Slavojka were also in the house at that moment," said Trifković, who was 27 years old at the time of the attack.

Trfković stated that her cousin Miloš Bunjevac was the first to leave the house when called, followed by his brother Ranko, both of whom were killed, and her brother Rajko, who was seriously wounded.

"Then I came out and when they shot at me, I was hit in the legs by a burst of fire, so I fell in the immediate vicinity of my brother Rajko. Behind me, one by one, came out my aunt Mirosava, my mother, and Miloš's wife Slavojka, who were also mortally wounded by the bursts," she said.

In the meantime, Branka's father managed to escape from the house, but was caught not far from there by Muslims and Croats who, as she heard, strangled him.

"I was lying next to my brother Rajko and tried not to show any signs of life. A group of armed soldiers then set fire to the house, which was made of wood. Soon after, they came to check if anyone was alive, and when they saw that my brother Rajko was seriously wounded, one of them shot him and beat him to death. I was lying on my side. One of these soldiers came up to me, turned me onto my back, and since he probably thought I was dead, they and the others left the place," Branka testified.

She says that while she was lying motionless, she heard soldiers approaching other houses in the village and calling out: `Come out, Chetniks!,` after which she heard gunfire, and assumes that everyone who responded was killed.

"I don't know how long I lay there, when my uncle Achim Bunjevac came along and took me to a rock below the house, where I spent the whole day, until our army arrived and gave me first aid. I was shot in both legs with ten bullets. I was treated in Pale," Trifković said in her testimony before the Basic Court in Zvornik on December 14, 1996.


PREGNANT WOMAN AMONG KILLED

Milivoje Ero's pregnant wife was killed. He immediately set out with his unit upon learning of the attack on Čemerno.

"In a meadow, about 50 meters from my parents' house, I found my wife, her brother, sister and mother killed. My wife Ranka's eyes had been gouged out, most likely with a knife, and her breasts had been cut off, and there were signs of slaughter on her neck. I also saw wounds inflicted by a firearm with burst fire, so I assume that she was first tortured, then slaughtered, and then shot. Her mother Spasa was stabbed in several places, and she was also shot with a burst of gunfire," Milivoje said.


MILINKO TRIFKOVIĆ KILLED BY MUSLIM BEST MAN

Stjepanija Tri̴fković also experienced a family tragedy, describing what happened in front of the house of Milinko Trifković, her husband's cousin.

"I heard Muslim and Croatian soldiers approach Milinko's house and shout at Milinko and the others to get out of the house, threatening to burn them down. Then I heard: `Slaughter and strangle, don't even leave a chicken!,`" Trifković said.

According to the testimony of Petar Rašević, which he repeated on several occasions, Milinko Trifković was killed by his best man: "...he heard the voice of Milinko Trifković who was begging someone, saying: `Don't, my best man, please!` He said that he knew that the deceased Milinko Trifković had a Muslim best man named Nijaz from the village of Korita".

Vila Dačić also experienced a great family tragedy, whose parents lived in the village of Dubravine in the Vareš region, which was predominantly Muslim.

"My parents remained in the village until June 10, 1992, when they tried to flee in the direction of the village of Čemerno, Ilijaš municipality, but the Muslim army awaited them there and killed them," she said, confirming that the Muslim army killed her father Đorđe Bunjevac, mother Koviljka, brother Goran, and uncle Rajko. /to be continued/