Collecting Money to Survive

Witness Mirko Zelenika stated that upon his capture in September 1993 he was taken to Rogica houses in Donja Jablanica where the “Zulfikar” unit of the Supreme Command Staff of the BiH Army (ABiH) was located.As he recalls, he was trapped in a landing gear near the Rogica houses when he was taken out with another captive.”Dzeko pressed a gun to my head saying: ‘You’re going to give me 5,000 marks or I am going to kill you'”, the witness said.The witness said that accompanied by Dzeko he left to collect the money. Since, according to him, he had no money he went to his neighbour in Jablanica and told her, “this is Zukin and he wants to kill me, so she gave me 1,500 marks.”Zelenika stated that he subsequently went to his brother-in-law’s apartment where obtained two thousand marks.”I told him to release my brother. Dzeko said: ‘You’re not going to be released either, but you’ll be spared a beating'”, the witness said, adding that he was taken back to the landing gear.Dzeko, a former member of “Zulfikar” unit was charged with participating in the illegal arrests of nine civilians in Jablanica who were taken to the Rogica houses. He took one of the captives from the landing gear and forced him to collect 3,500 marks at gunpoint.Dzeko was also charged with other crimes committed in Jablanica during the second half of 1993 as well as with participation in the murders in Trusina near Konjic in April 1993.Explaining how he knows that Dzeko is the man who forced him to collect money, Zelenika said that while the soldiers arrested people they took to the Rogica houses, he shortly spoke to a tall young man with black and longish hear. The witness added that, while they were taken to the Rogica houses, his brother told him that “the one who talked to you might be Dzeko”, while another captive also told him that it was Dzeko, stating his name. The witness said that he thought his name was Jasmin before it was announced in the media that his name was Edin.According to him, while staying in Rogica houses the captives were frequently beaten up and taken to forced labour.When asked by defence council Edina Residovic why he had not mentioned Dzeko in any of his earlier statements, the witness replied that he decided to speak up only once he found out that he was under investigation.”Dzeko has not been prosecuted earlier and I did not want to go into details, but once I learned that he has been charged, I used all my information,” he added.The examination of Zelenika will continue on 26 March.