Local Justice – Hadzic and Hodzic: Doubts about False Testimony

Prior to cross-examination by the Defence teams, Nijazija Kalender, Chairman of the Trial Chamber with the Brcko District Basic Court, asked Brcko District Prosecution witness Vasiljko Todic to “explain the circumstances” under which his legs and one arm were broken during his detention in 1992.

Todic said that he was captured in June 1992, adding that he was held at various locations, including a nursery school in Rahici and Biljana Factory in Gornja Maoca, near Brcko, for 87 days. The witness said that he was physically mistreated one month after his capture, adding that he did not receive medical assistance after that.

Trial Chamber Chairman Kalender expressed his doubts about this part of the witness’ testimony. He ordered that a duplicate of witness Todic’s testimony be made and submitted to the Prosecution “due to a suspicion that he gave a false statement”.

Hadzic and Hodzic are charged with having participated in the torture and inhumane treatment of Serb civilians and prisoners of war from the Bukvik area, Brcko District in 1992 and 1993.

The Prosecution alleges that Hadzic was a member of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina and, more specifically, crime inspector with the Public Safety Station in Brcko, and Hodzic was military policeman with the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, who worked as a security guard in detention camps and collection centres at the time.

Responding to Defence questions, witness Todic said that indictee Hadzic ordered other soldiers to beat him. “Hadzic personally gave the order to me and some other Serb detainees to dig out unexploded grenades,” Todic said.Second Prosecution witness Dusan Djordjic said that he lived in Gornja Maoca before the war, adding that, as a representative of that village, he handed over nine guns owned by local Serb residents to members of the 108th Brigade of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“Hadzic personally interrogated me. He asked me where we got the weapons from. As I did not want to tell him, he said I would be kept in jail until I admitted. During the course of our first meeting he did not mistreat me. He just examined me. Later on I was transferred to a garage in the nursery school in Gornji Rahic. He and some other soldiers hit me during the course of my examination,” Djordjic said.

Pero Stankovic, who testified as the third Brcko District Prosecution witness, said that he was wounded and captured during the attack by the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Bukvik village, near Brcko in September 1992.

“After my wound was dressed and medical assistance provided to me, Hadzic came and began questioning me. During the course of the examination he slapped me twice and verbally insulted me. After that, during my detention in the nursery school in Gornji Rahic, I would see Hadzic in those premises, but he never examined or hit me again,” Stankovic said.

The main trial is due to continue on May 19.M.A.—————————————————————————————————————
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