Gotovina et al Judgement Volume I - ICTY

38683Knin at the time of his visit on 3 August 1995, but he recalled that he did not see manycivilians on the streets. 45071230. Murray Dawes testified that the majority of Knin’s inhabitants were elderlySerbs and Serb women and children, since most of the Serb men were out at the frontlines. 4508 Dawes’s testimony on the composition of the population of Knin in the daysprior to Operation Storm is confirmed by the testimony of witnesses PhilipBerikoff, 4509 Andrew Leslie, 4510 Mira Grubor, 4511 and Bert Dijkstra 4512 . Dawesfurther testified that based on information relayed to him by Serbian municipalemployees working in the property recorder’s office, he knew that, just prior to the endof July 1995, Knin’s population expanded from 15-17,000 to 30,000 people. 4513According to the witness, as the HV took over Grahovo 28 July 1995 and proceededalong the eastern side of Knin, Knin’s population swelled noticeably with peopleleaving their local villages. 4514 The population in Knin rose to a level which seemed tothe witness greater than what the town was able to accommodate in such a short amountof time. 4515 The individuals coming into Knin, immediately preceding Operation Storm,were also mostly elderly Serbs, Serb women and children, not fighting age males. 4516Dawes recalled seeing individuals living in makeshift camps along some of the roads intown. 4517 Andrew Leslie testified that Knin had a population of about 35,000 peopleimmediately prior to 4 August 1995 although it was around 20,000 or 25,000 in March1995. 4518 The reason for this increase was the rise of tensions and the expectation ofimminent hostilities that had made people from villages and towns closer to the zone ofseparation move into Knin. 4519 According to Leslie, a part of the local population fromKnin had left during roughly the week prior to 4 and 5 August 1995 but this did not4507 P925 (Robert Williams, witness statement, 22 August 1996), p. 3; Robert Williams, T. 9570-9571.4508 P980 (Murray Dawes, witness statement, 22 August 1996), p. 2; Murray Dawes, T. 10386-10387.4509 P739 (Philip Berikoff, witness statement, 24 August 1996), p. 3.4510 Andrew Leslie, T. 1937; P84 (Report on possible violations of international humanitarian law, signedby Andrew Leslie, 12 August 1995), p. 2.4511 Mira Grubor, T. 1389.4512 P428 (Bert Dijkstra, witness statement, 7 December 1995), p. 2.4513 P980 (Murray Dawes, witness statement, 22 August 1996), p. 2; P981 (Murray Dawes, witnessstatement, 2 April 2008), para. 2; Murray Dawes, T. 10385-10386.4514 P980 (Murray Dawes, witness statement, 22 August 1996), p. 3; Murray Dawes, T. 10386-10387.4515 P981 (Murray Dawes, witness statement, 2 April 2008), para. 2.4516 Murray Dawes, T. 10386-10387.4517 P981 (Murray Dawes, witness statement, 2 April 2008), para. 2.4518 Andrew Leslie, T. 1937; P84 (Report on possible violations of international humanitarian law, signedby Andrew Leslie, 12 August 1995), p. 2.4519 Andrew Leslie, T. 1937.632Case No.: IT-06-90-T 15 April 2011 `