Selimovic et al: Getting Information on War Crimes

At the trial for crimes in Bosnian Krajina a Defence witness says that indictee Adil Ruznic did not examine prisoners of war in the “Rad” car workshop in Cazin.

Testifying in defence of Adil Ruznic, Husnija Sabic, former Military Security Officer with the 503rd Brigade of the Fifth Corps with the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH, said that the indictee did not come to “Rad” workshop in Cazin , where prisoners of war were held.

“I knew Adil Ruznic. He did not come to Cazin to talk to prisoners of war. Ruznic did not come to Cazin at all,” Sabic said.

The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina charges Ruznic, Mehura Selimovic and Emir Mustafic with crimes committed in Bosnian Krajina. According to the charges, Ruznic, Selimovic and Mustafic assisted in the detention of members of the Republika Srpska, RS Army and police and civilians in detention centres in Bihac, Cazin and Bosanski Petrovac in the period from 1994 to 1996.

The indictment alleges that the indictees physically mistreated prisoners while examining them. It further alleges that Ruznic was Assistant Commander for Security, Selimovic was Counter-intelligence Officer and Deputy Chief of the Military Security Section with the Fifth Corps of ABiH, while Mustafic was military policeman.
 
During the course of his testimony Sabic said that prisoners of war were transferred from Bihac to Cazin , because combat operations were conducted in the vicinity of Bihac. He said that he did not examine prisoners, as security officer with the 503rd Brigade, because he “assumed that they had been already questioned in Bihac”.

“Following the ‘Sana’ military operation, members of the 503rd Brigade captured prisoners of war. I conducted interviews with them. The prisoners responded to questions about their membership in military units, areas of responsibility of those units and information about prisoners or mass graves,” Sabic explained.

The witness pointed out that, on the basis of information obtained from two prisoners, a mass grave was found in Lukavice village, Sanski Most. He said that the remains of 15 people were exhumed from that grave.

Sabic said that prisoners were not mistreated during the examinations, adding that they gave their statements voluntarily.

At this hearing the State Prosecution cross-examined indictee Mehura Selimovic, who had testified in his defence on September 14, as well as indictee Ruznic, who testified on September 28 this year.

Responding to Prosecution’s questions, Selimovic said that prisoners of war were examined with the aim of obtaining information about war crimes.

Selimovic and Ruznic said that the Military Security Service of the ABiH’s Fifth Corps did not play “any role” in the accommodation and guarding of various types of prisoners.

The trial is due to continue on October 19 this year, when four witnesses will testify in defence of Adil Ruznic.

A.S.