“Kill me. My Whole Family Has Been Killed Anyway”

The witness said that he was detained, along with other prisoners, in an underground silo in September 1993 and that he was invited to come out. When he said that he had no money or golden jewellry, the person told him that he would be killed.

“I told him: ‘Kill me. My whole family has been killed anyway,’” the witness said, explaining that his father, mother, uncle and relatives were killed in Grabovica, near Mostar, on September 9, 1993.

Describing the person, who asked him to give him money and golden jewellry, the witness said that he was youngish and of medium height. During the cross-examination the witness said that the indictee was tall. Defence attorney Vasvija Vidovic specified that he was 196 centimetres tall.

Dreznjak said that he went down to the silo after the person had told him: “Go back. We shall not harm you.”

He said that prisoner Mirko Zelenika was called after him. After having returned to the silo, Zelenika told him that the person’s name was Dzeko. The witness said that Zelenika told him that he gave 3,500 German Marks to Dzeko. He explained that prisoners, like Zelenika and protected witness J3, were released from Rogica kuce complex, because they gave money.

Dzeko, former member of “Zulfikar” Squad, is charged with crimes against Croat prisoners and civilians in Jablanica in the second half of 1993. Besides that, he is on trial for murders committed in Trusina village, near Konjic, in April 1993.

Dreznjak said that the prisoners were transferred from the silo to a nearby stable about ten days later. The witness said that, according to an order issued by Dzeko or Nedzad, he went to the silo, where he saw a dead prisoner with a rope around his neck. He covered him with a blanket.

“He put a revolver pipe on my temple and said: ‘If you tell anyone, I’ll kill you’. It was Dzeko or Nedzad. I cannot remember exactly who it was,” the witness said, adding that he did not memorise the person’s face and that other prisoners from the stable told him who it was later on.

Defence attorney Vidovic said that the witness had never mentioned Dzeko in any of his previous statements, except the one he gave to the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the investigation in this case. Dreznjak said that he thought that he had mentioned the indictee.

The Defence attorney then read a part of a statement related to the events in Rogica kuce complex, which the witness gave to the Human Rights Centre in Medjugorje after having been released. He did not mention Dzeko in that statement.

“I did not remember,” the witness said.

Dreznjak told the Court that he stayed in Rogica kuce until October 1, 1993 and that they used to perform some labour for the Army. He said that soldiers beat them sometimes, pointing out that they hit him with fists and legs after he had returned from lunch in the Prenj restaurant.

The trial is due to continue on May 7.