Karajic: Grave Crimes in Bosnian Krajina
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In the course of the trial of Suljo Karajic, the Prosecution examined 45 witnesses and three court experts and introduced 182 pieces of material evidence. Out of the total number of witnesses, 14 testified under protection measures – under pseudonyms or from a separate cabin, with voice and face change. The witnesses asked for those measures, saying they feared having to face the indictee again.
A status conference at which the Defence will present its evidence presentation plan is due on November 27, 2008. The Defence has announced it will examine 30 witnesses and two court experts.
Karajic, known as Hodza, former commander of the Second Military Police Squad with the 505th Motorized Knights Brigade of the Fifth Corps of the Bosnian Army, ABiH, is charged with a number of crimes committed against prisoners-of-war and civilians in western Bosnia from August 1994 to February 1995.
The crimes were committed during the course of the conflict between members of the ABiH Fifth Corps and the National Defence of the Western Bosnia Autonomous Region, ND WBAR, a break away militia established by Fikret Abdic in 1993.
In 2005, Abdic was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment in
Protected witness A, former member of the Military Police Squad commanded by Karajic, in March 2008 said the indictee participated in the murder of Rasim Dizdarevic at Dzaferagic hill.
“I don’t know who actually killed Dizdarevic, as I was hidden, but I watched Suljo Karajic use a knife, and Semsudin ‘Sucko’ Durmic use an axe to cut off his head and put it on a wooden stick,” witness A said.
Durmic is mentioned in the indictment against Karajic as an accomplice in some of the crimes.
A former member of the working unit with the Fifth Corps, who testified under the pseudonym of O, also spoke about this crime. He and another member of the ABiH were taken, “in the winter of 1994/1995”, to “bury a head”, he recalled.
“We came to Serif Rizvic’s house where a few soldiers had already been. They showed us a bucket in which there was a head. I think I heard the soldiers say Suljo had done it. I did not know whose head it was,” O said.
Among other things, the Prosecution charges Karajic with having killed a detained member of the NDWBAR who was held in the basement of the Radoc hotel in the town of
Several prosecution witnesses testified about this, including eye witnesses, who said Amir Karajic, known as Kolac, was killed on this occasion.
“I was detained, together with Hasan Ciric and Amir Karajic ‘Kolac’. Karajic came to the prison and asked us to come. We approached him and stood by the bars. Karajic’s arm was immobilized. He carried a gun in his other arm. Then he shot Amir,” Mirsad Gracanin recalled.
Semira Mesic-Pasalic, a pathologist who testified as Prosecution witness, said that in 1994 she had examined the body of Amir Karajic and had determined that he had died by violent means, noticing a wound caused by firearms.
Following the murder of Amir Karajic, the crime scene inspection was carried out by Ismet Majetic and Hamdija Veladzic, who said that having arrived in Buzim, Zijad Nanic, former assistant commander for security with the 505th Brigade, told them a murder had been committed.
“He [the indictee] had managed to get to the prisoners by distracting the duty policeman,” Majetic said. “Nanic told us that Karajic placed some palettes next to the door in order to climb up and shoot Amir.”
Zijad Nanic, appearing as a Prosecution witness, denied having given the men in formation, adding that “the Military Police commander” told him Karajic was suspected of having committed the murder.
The indictment alleges that, in December 1994, Karajic and some other members of the Military Police Squad took Mujo Pehlic, a detainee, out from the Detention Unit in the Police Station and killed him.
“ I saw Karajic getting in the prison and speaking to Pehlic,” witness G said. “Later, the two of them came out and I heard shooting. I went out and I saw Karajic and a few other persons standing there.”
In her testimony, Pehlic’s widow, Slada Sabic, said a person named Keserovic, known as Pajo, told her the indictee had killed her husband in Vrnograc. “There was sand in Mujo’s mouth… [and] black holes in his body,” she said.
The Prosecution say in December that year Karajic participated in detention of civilians who he saw as supporters of Abdic’s movement for an autonomous region in northwest
The Prosecution alleges Karajic killed detainee Sefik Abdic in the school in Todorovska Slapnica, which the victim’s close family confirmed. “Two neighbours came and told us Sefik had been killed,” Abdic’s widow, Muharema, said. “His body, wrapped in ablanket, was brought to us. I noticed that his leg was broken and that he was shot in the right part of his body. This is how we buried him.”
Witness A recalled the day that Abdic was killed. “Karajic brought Abdic to the prison, because, prior to joining the ND he had been a member of the ABiH. One night, Karajic, Juso Buzimkic and Semsudin Durmic took Sefik outside the school building. After that we heard shooting.” Witness A added that he did not see the indictee killing Abdic.
As indicated by witnesses, an ambulance and prison of the Second Military Police Squad were situated in the school. Detainees were often abused there, former detainee Abid Dzebic said.
“In the winter of 1994, Suljo examined me in the school building, asking me about weapons,” he said. “He started hitting me on my head with a stick. Later he ordered me to take off my clothes and go out in the snow. I was standing like that for 20 minutes.”
Protected witness C, a former detainee in the school, said one detainee had died there, after “Karajic’s police” had beaten him.
“Muhamed Dzebic was lying there, all deformed,” he said. “His arm and leg were folded. On the upper floor there was a doctor, who took care of the wounded. He could not help us then, because Karajic did not let him.”
Court medicine expert Miroslav Rakovcanin participated in the exhumation and autopsy of the bodies of Sefik Abdicand Muhamed Dzebic in 2000, when he determined that their death was violent. Their bodies were found on the
The indictment further alleges that, in late December 1994, near Latica Glavica, Karajic participated in the capture of members of the NDWBAR. According to statements of surviving witnesses he then killed Fikret Husidic.
“Suljo Hodza asked Husidic, member of the NDWBAR, why he had left his Unit and then shot a bullet at him,” protected witness J said, claiming to have been an eyewitness.
Captured members of the NDWBAR were then transferred to “Stop” coffee shop. After a while, they were transferred to the Radoc motel basement in Buzim and beaten.
“His arm was immobilized because I guess he had been wounded,” Huso Bajazetovic said, of the indictee. “He kicked detainee Sabahudin Kajtezovic in his genitals, while his men beat Mirsad Causevica,” Bajazetovic added.
Most Prosecution witnesses said Karajic, identified as a man “whose arm was immobilized”, participated in the abuse and murders of prisoners-of-war and civilians.
Hamza Zujo, a court medicine expert examined by the Prosecution, determined on the basis of medical reports that after Karajic was been wounded, his arm was immobilized for a period in 1994 and 1995.
As per a warrant issued by the State Prosecution, Karajic was arrested in October 2007 and has been in custody since then.
After the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina confirmed the indictment, Karajic pleaded “not guilty” to charges of having committed crimes in the western
Aida Alic is a BIRN Justice Report journalist. [email protected] Justice Report is a weekly online BIRN publication.
