Memic et al: “Finish Them”

Testifying under the pseudonym of S, the witness said that she heard fierce shooting in the village in the morning hours on April 16, 1993. As she said, Ivan Drljo came to her house soon after that and informed her that he was told that some people, including her son, had to come with him.

“The only other person they found was Zeljko Blazevic. The three of them went together. My son looked at us sadly. He was killed in Gaj hamlet,” said witness S, who testified in a separate cabin.

She said that some unknown soldiers stormed into her house, asked for money and gold jewellry and forced them out to leave the house. She told the Court that the soldiers ordered her and a few other neighbours to go through the village and that, while they were walking, one of the soldiers killed Ante Drljo.

“He was dead. His wife Kata was crying. Somebody said: ‘Finish them!’. Somebody else began shooting,: the witness said, adding that she then saw that her husband was dead too.

As she said, the soldiers locked the women and children in a house. She said that she left Trusina one day after the attack.

Mensur Memic, Dzevad Salcin, Senad Hakalovic, Nedzad Hodzic, Nihad Bojadzic and Zulfikar Alispago, former members of ABiH, are on trial for the attack on Trusina village in which 18 civilians and four members of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO were killed.

The indictment alleges that Alispago was Commander of the “Zulfikar” Squad, Bojadzic was his Deputy, Memic, Salcin and Hodzic were members of the Squad, while Hakalovic was a member of the “Neretvica” Brigade.

Following the examination of this witness, Defence attorney Kadrija Kolic requested the Court to release his client Hakalovic from custody and “withdraw the indictment”. Prosecutor Vesna Budimir said that the Prosecution would respond to the request once “protected witness E has been examined”.

The trial is due to continue on October 15, when protected witness E is due to be examined.
A.J.