Prosic: Dastard Smile

Semil Topalovic said that the shelling of Sanski Most began on May 26, 1992, adding that he and his family found shelter in a basement. As he said, on the following day they were ordered to hand over their weapons and put white blankets on their houses.

“My father handed over his hunting rifle to a collection centre in the town. After that all of us hid in the basement of my father-in-law’s cafe. However, Serb soldiers found us and told us to go to Dasici village,” the witness said.

He said that, on their way they came across 15-20 soldiers, adding that indictee Prosic was among them. The witness said that he had known him from before the war, as they were acquaintances and schoolmates.

“Prosic was standing at the cross-roads about 20 metres away from Hilmo Hegic’s house and asked my father about weapons,” Topalovic said.

When they came to Dasici village, the soldiers took them and other civilians to the “Narodni front” school building.

“When we came there, I saw father Senad and Emir, who was crying. He said that his sons were killed in Hilmo Hegic’s house, adding that Vezira Vojnikovic saved herself, but her brothers were killed too,” the witness said.

Two days later they were taken to a sports hall in Sanski Most, where the witness saw the indictee again.

“My cousin Capi, who was Prosic’s best friend prior to the war, cursed his mother and asked him why he was wearing Smail Pasic’s jewellery and whether he killed him, but Prosic just smiled dastardly,” Topalovic said.

During a conversation with Vezira Vojnikovi in 1998 he found out that “Milka’s son” killed the people in Hilmo Hegic’s house.

“The name of Prosic’s mother is Milka. Vezira was not able to remember the indictee’s name, so this is how she explained to me who did that,” the witness said.

Predrag Prosic, former member of the Sixth Sana Brigade of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS is charged with having participated in a broad and systematic attack on villages in the Sanski Most area and persecution, detention, setting houses on fire and murder of non-Serb civilians.

According to the charges, on May 27, 1992 Prosic came to Hilmo Hegic’s house, where nine civilians, including a pregnant woman, were, killed them and set the house on fire.

Witness Dusanka Topalovic said that she and her family members were hiding in a basement during the shelling, adding that, on May 27, 1992 they were ordered to go to a nearby meadow. After that they were taken to the “Narodni front” school building.

“On our way, we passed by Hilmo Hegic’s house. The house was on fire, just like the other houses, but we did not know that our neighbours were killed in the house. Later on we found out who was killed,” the witness said.

She told the Court that, after the war she spoke to Vezira Vojnikovic, whose brothers were killed, along with seven other civilians, in Hilmo Hegic’s house, but, as the witness said, Vezira was too afraid to tell her who killed them.

The trial is due to continue on August 13, when a new State Prosecution witness will be examined.