Memic et al: Good and Fair Man

At the trial of six indictees charged with crimes committed in Trusina, Prosecution witness Elmedin Causevic says that indictee Zulfikar Alispago asked soldiers to respect the rules of war and he “became dear” to them because of that.

Elmedin Causevic, former member of the Zulfikar Special Purposes Squad, said that soldiers respected indictee Alispago.

“Everybody respected him, because he was a good and fair man. He used to tell us to respect the rules of war, so he became dear to us,” witness Causevic said during cross-examination.

The witness said that soldiers received orders from Samir Semsovic, known as Samko, who was killed in the spring of 1993.

“The late Samko used to line us up and issue orders for military operations. I do not know who gave orders to him. He was Zuka’s deputy. I am saying this because he was the one who lined us up,” Causevic said.

Alispago, Mensur Memic, Dzevad Salcin, Senad Hakalovic, Nedzad Hodzic and Nihad Bojadzic are charged with having conducted an attack on Trusina village on April 16, 1993, when 18 civilians and four HVO members were killed.

The State Prosecution considers that Alispago was Commander of the Zulfikar Special Purposes Squad with the ABiH Main Command Headquarters. He is charged with having failed to punish his subordinates who participated in the murders. Bojadzic, Alispago’s deputy, is charged with having commanded the attack.

The indictment alleges that Memic, Salcin and Hodzic were members of the Zulfikar Squad and Senad Hakalovic was a member of the Neretvica 45th Brigade.

During the course of his testimony, Causevic recalled Alispago asking Salko Gusic, former Commander of the Igman Operational Group, at the funeral of Samir Semsovic, if “those guys had submitted the report”. The witness said that Gusic said something to the indictee and waved his hand.

“I realised what it was all about after having heard, at the funeral, what had happened,” the witness said. At the last hearing he said he had heard that “cleansing of some civilians took place” in Trusina.

During the course of examination of this witness, indictee Hodzic left the courtroom, because, as his Defence attorney Mithat Koco said, he did not feel well.

The trial is due to continue on March 11 this year, when the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina will examine a new witness.