79 which the accused took part; it is accordingly a distinct possibility that it may have been the act of a quite distinct group of armed men, or the unauthorized and unforeseen act of one of the force that entered Sivci, for which the accused cannot be held responsible, that caused their death.226 180. In relation to the possibility that the killings may have been carried out by another armed group, the Trial Chamber found the following. An armed group of men, including the Appellant, entered Jaski}i. The group separated most of the men from the rest of the villagers, beat and then forcibly removed the men to an unknown location. The Appellant played an active role in the activities of this violent group. The group fired shots as they approached and left the village. 181. It has already been pointed out that the Trial Chamber also found that five men were found killed in Jaski}i after the armed group had left; four of them were shot in the head. Nothing else as to who might have killed them or in what circumstances was known. The Trial Chamber referred, however, to the large force of Serb soldiers, of which the Appellant was a member, that invaded the nearby village of Sivci on the same day, without any villager there being killed. It then stated that the: [b]are possibility that the deaths of the Jaski}i villagers were the result of encountering a part of that large force [of Serb soldiers that invaded Sivci] would be enough, in the state of the evidence, or rather, the lack of it, relating to their deaths, to prevent satisfaction beyond reasonable doubt that the accused was involved in those deaths.227 182. The Trial Chamber did not allude to any witness suggesting that another group of armed men might have been responsible for the killing of the five men. In fact, none of the witnesses suggested anything to that effect. 183. In the light of the facts found by the Trial Chamber, the Appeals Chamber holds that, in relation to the possibility that another armed group killed the five men, the Trial Chamber misapplied the test of proof beyond reasonable doubt. On the facts found, the only reasonable conclusion the Trial Chamber could have drawn is that the armed group to which the Appellant belonged killed the five men in Jaski}i. 184. In the light of the above finding, the Appeals Chamber need not consider the second possibility advanced by the Trial Chamber, namely, that the killing of the five men in 226 227 Ibid., para. 373. Ibid. Case No.: -94-1-A 15 July 1999

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