Memic et al: ‘Major’ Discrepancies

Protected witness B, who testified under voice and face alteration measures, and whose personal data was protected, said that he participated, as a member of the Zulfikar Special Purposes Squad with the Main Command Headquarters of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in an attack on Trusina village on April 16, 1993, adding that he witnessed the shooting of six individuals.

“I saw five people, who were lined up against the wall. A member of our Squad brought one more prisoner. All of them were Croats. I remember that Hodzic, Menta, Zolja and Struja were there, standing behind those people. One of the prisoners started to run away. They began shooting. All of them were killed,” said the witness, who began his testimony on April 11 this year

The State Prosecution charges Mensur Memic, known as Menta, Dzevad Salcin, known as Struja, Nedzad Hodzic, Senad Hakalovic, Nihad Bojadzic and Zulfikar Alispago with the murder of 18 civilians and four members of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, in Trusina village on April 16, 1993.

The indictment alleges that Memic, Salcin and Hodzic, former members of the Zulfikar Special Squad, and Hakalovic, former member of the Neretvica 45th Mountain Brigade, participated in the attack on Trusina village and the murder of civilians and prisoners of war.

According to the charges, Bojadzic, former Deputy Commander of the Zulfikar Squad, commanded the attack. Indictee Alispago, former Commander of the Squad, is charged with having failed to punish the soldiers who participated in the murders.

Media reports in the US have quoted a Bosnian extradition request for Rasema Handanovic, known as Zolja, which says that she is also suspected of participating in the attack on Trusina. Handanovic was arrested in the US earlier this month.

During the course of cross-examination of witness B, the Defence teams presented the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina with eight statements given by the protected witness to the State Investigation and Protection Agency, SIPA, and the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina between 2008 to 2010.

The Defence said that the statements contain “major and disputable discrepancies related to key facts”.

When asked by the Defence of indictee Memic why the witness told SIPA investigators in 2008 that only “Zolja and Hodzic” shot the Croat prisoners and then told the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one year later, that indictees Memic and Salcin also took part in the shooting, the witness was not able to respond.

“That is what I said in my statements, but, now I am not able to say exactly why. I mixed up a few cases in those statements,” witness B said.

The Defence will continue cross-examining protected witness B at the next hearing, scheduled for Friday, April 22.

D.Dž.