Memic et al: Looking at Dead Bodies

During her testimony, Jela Ljubic said that she was in the vicinity of the place, where men were shot, in Gaj hamlet together with other women and children from Trusina village, Konjic municipality on April 16, 1993, but she did not see the murders themselves.

“We heard shooting, bursts of bullets being fired. They killed them. Soldiers then took us to that place so we could see them. We saw bodies of the killed people. We felt horrible,” witness Ljubic said.

Ljubic was supposed to testify under the pseudonym of H, but she informed State Prosecutor Vesna Budimir one night prior to her testimony that she gave up on the identity protection measures. The Trial Chamber accepted her decision.

The murder of 18 civilians and four members of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO in Trusina village on April 16, 1993 is charged upon Mensur Memic, Nedzad Hodzic, Nihad Bojadzic, Dzevad Salcin, Senad Hakalovic and Zulfikar Alispago.

The indictment alleges that Memic, Salcin and Hodzic, former members of “Zulfikar” Special Purposes Squad with the Main Command Headquarters of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Hakalovic, former member of the “Neretvica” 45th Mountain Brigade, participated in the attack on Trusina and murder of civilians and prisoners of war.

It further alleges that Bojadzic, the then Deputy Commander of “Zulfikar” Squad, commanded the attack. Indictee Alispago, former Commander of that Squad, is charged with having failed to sanction the soldiers, who participated in the shooting.

Ljubic said that she went, along with her two minor children, to her sister Bosiljka Kreso’s house in the morning on April 16, 1993, because she was afraid after having heard shooting. As she said, her husband Stipe went to military positions near Trusina in the morning hours.

According to the witness, some soldiers, all of whom were unknown to her except for one, whom he recognised as “Zaim’s son”, came to her sister’s house a short time later. She then pointed to indictee Senad Hakalovic in the courtroom. The witness said that, while a few of the soldiers were searching the house, “Zaim’s son” sat on the couch.

Ljubic said that, as per an order given by the soldiers, she joined a few other women and children, who went to Gaj hamlet, where they were accommodated in Marko Drljo’s house. She said that the shooting took place in front of that house.

“They said that they would set the house on fire and kill us. They quarreled with each other about whether to kill us or not. Some wanted to do it, while others were against the idea,” the witness said. Ljubic said that she did not know those soldiers.

Ljubic said that she did not see her husband among the men, who had been lined up. She said that she found out a little later that he had been killed, along with residents of another village, in their house.

The witness said that, besides the shot men, she saw dead bodies of three elderly men on the street in Trusina.

The witness is due to continue testifying on November 28, 2011.