Planincic et al: Indictee Did not Support Attack
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Testifying in his defence, Menzil said that, in August 1992 he was in Bilice village, where he brought his family after having fled from Hrvacani village.
The indictee said that, considering the fact that many families were accommodated in Bilice village, people faced problems with lack of food supplies, so he went to Tesici village with a group of people in September.
This was done as per an order by Besim Cehic, who took care of those families, Menzil said.
He said that, while he was in Tesici, he found out about a plan for the unblocking of Orica Hill and Hrvacani village, adding that Besim Cehic came on that same night in order to officially inform them about the order.
I and a few other people objected, telling him that they kept using the same group of people for such things, although our families were hungry. Besim told us to do what we want, Menzil said, adding that he did not participate in the attack on Serdari village and that he did not support the operation.
Menzil is charged, along with Fikret Planincic, Rasim Lisancic and Mirsad Vatrac, with having participated in the attack on Serdari village on September 17, 1992, when 16 Serb civilians were killed. The indictment alleges that they were members of the Territorial Defence in Kotor-Varos.
According to the indictee, he was among a group of people who decided to enter Hrvacani village only after the group, which participated in the attack, had succeeded in doing it.
We went to Briza village, near Hrvacani. The Serb positions were located about 600 metres away. Shooting on Serdari began after that. They opened fire at us too, so we withdrew to Bilanovici. We stayed there and saw a tank above Serdari, Menzil said.
He told the Court that they went back to Tesici village and that they saw on television in the evening that 16 civilians had been killed during the attack on Serdari.
Menzil said that he did not know indictees Rasim Lisancic and Mirsad Vatrac and that he saw Fikret Planincic a couple of times during the conflict.
The trial is due to continue on December 4.
M.B.
