Veselinovic: Attack on Musici village

Prosecution witness Anita Panjeta recalls having seen indictee Rade Veselinovic, who was dressed in camouflage uniform, in May 1992. She said she had a black hat and a necklace with a pendant in the shape of a cross.

Panjeta saw the indictee after the attack on Musici village, where she lived until May 20, 1992.

The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina charges Veselinovic, as member of the Military Police Squad with the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, with having participated in the murder, forcible resettlement, capture, detention, torture and causing of sufferings and injuries to the non-Serbian population in Hadzici municipality.

Panjeta told the Court that Serbian forces attacked Musici village, adding that, on the day when the soldiers came to the village, she saw dead bodies of three men, who were killed in a garage in which they had been hiding.

“Ismet Music’s father, brother and uncle were in the garage when the shooting started. After the shooting ceased, Serbian soldiers dragged their bodies out of the garage. Their wounds were bleeding. I took their watches and jewelry, and I covered the bodies with a blanket,” Panjeta said, adding that other people told her that these men were killed by a bomb, which had been thrown into the garage.

Panjeta said she handed over the wristwatches and jewelry to the Music family.

After that the soldiers took all Musici residents to that garage. They separated them, taking some of them to the sports hall and others to some garages in Hadzici. The witness recalled having seen Veselinovic on that day. She claims he told her to come with those men, but a person named Dragan Pusara told her to stay.

Witness Panjeta stayed in Musici, together with her mother, son and a few neighbours, until the army set their houses to fire.

“Dragan Pusara and a few other soldiers came to the house of my neighbour Zumra, telling her to go out of the house, as they were going to burn it down, as a revenge for the death of his brother,” the witness said, adding that they stayed in Musici for the next few days before leaving to Breza. She said that they returned shortly after that, adding that they lived, until early August 1992 in the only house in the village which had not been burnt down.

A short time after she left the village and went to a nearby village, where she lived with her family. She claims to have seen Veselinovic in that village, when he came there and questioned her about the weapons in Musici.

In February 1993 Panjeta moved to the territory controlled by the Bosnian Army.

The trial is due to continue on September 17.