Veselinovic: Witness repeats statement

Mehmed Music, who appeared as the first witness for Rade Veselinovic’s Defence at the trial for crimes committed in Hadzici, spoke about the attack on Musici village and the detention of the village residents in the sports center.

In September 2008 Music testified as a Prosecution witness, http://www.bim.ba/bh/131/10/12819/. On that occasion he spoke about Veselinovic’s participation in crimes committed in the Hadzici area.

Veselinovic is charged, as a member of the Military Police Squad with the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, with having participated in crimes against humanity in 1992.

Among other things the Prosecution charges him with having participated, in collaboration with other VRS members, from early May to the end of 1992, in the capture and forcible detention of civilians from the Hadzici area and from Musici, Zunovica, Binjezevo and Kucice villages.

The Defence presented Music with three statements, which he gave to various local and international investigative bodies in 1993, 1997 and 1998. In these statements he described the crimes committed against him and other residents of Hadzici.

As indicated by this witness the attack on Musici took place on May 20, 1992, when he was among other village residents who were captured and taken to the sports hall in Hadzici.

This witness said that the Musici village residents had been asked prior to the attack to hand over their weapons, but they did not do this. He said they organized local patrols in their village in early 1992.

“On one occasion Dragan Pusara came to the village and, using a public address system, called on us to hand over our weapons, but we refused to do that. Following the capture, the Hadzici municipal building was the main location at which people were examined and beaten up,” Music said.

He added that all the detainees who were held in the sports hall in Hadzici were scared of Veselinovic. He claimed to have been detained in the hall for 75 days.

The trial is due to continue on Wednesday, March 4.