Jukic: Eager to Burn, Slaughter and Kill

Witness Ibro Selimovic from Lug village, Prozor municipality, whose three family members were killed, said that the “Kinder” Squad was part of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO. According to the witness, “Kinder” Squad member Nikola Maric came to his village on July 17, 1993 and told the male residents to gather at one location, so they could “transport” them somewhere. The witness said that he hid in a forest, while the other men were taken to the Secondary School Centre in Prozor.The witness told the Court that his father, brother and cousin were killed two days later.“When I came to my cousin Omer’s house, I saw that he was hit on his head. I met brother Selim in front of the house. A short time later Nikola Maric approached us and shot him on his head. Maric took my father Mujo around one hundred metres away from the house and killed him,” the witness said. The witness said that he did not know indictee Zeljko Jukic.Jukic is charged with having participated, in collaboration with other members of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO and Croatian Army, HV, in the persecution of Bosniak civilians, murders and forcible disappearances in Prozor in the period from July to September 1993. The indictment alleges that, on July 7, 1993 or approximately on that day Jukic mistreated a civilian by burning his face with a cigarette and made a cross-like sign on his right cheek. This allegedly happened in the Fire Brigade premises in Prozor, where the Prozor HVO military police was seated.Witness Selimovic was arrested too and taken to the Fire Brigade premises in Prozor. He said that he was beaten up so much that nobody could recognise him.As he said, the witness was transferred from the Fire Brigade premises to the Secondary School Centre, where he stayed until October 1993.He considers that the “Kinder” Squad committed most of the crimes in Prozor, although he used to see members of the Croatian Army, HV and HVO too. Taiba Terzic appeared as a second witness at this hearing. She told the Court that unknown soldiers drove her son away in “a car trunk” from Kovacevo polje village, Prozor municipality, adding that she “has still not found his bones”. The trial is due to continue on March 7.