Talks of Zoljas Murders in Trusina
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A former ABiH soldier from Trusina, who was assigned the pseudonym of K, said that he was in a trench in Brdo hamlet during the attack on April 16, 1993.
The witness recalled having heard shooting at about 8 a.m., which lasted for about an hour and a half. As he said, after having left the trench at about 2 p.m., he heard local Bosniak residents speaking about the operation.
I heard that a woman known as Zolja has shot six Croats. Everybody said that she had done it, the witness recalled.
He heard that more Croats were killed in the village, but he did not know who did it. As he said, during the course of the attack he did not see indictee Senad Hakalovic, whom he knew, but he heard that his brother Sead, member of the Tigers Unit of the 45th Brigade of ABiH, participated in the operation.
Hakalovic, former member of the 45th Brigade, is on trial, along with five other members of Zulfikar Squad Mensur Memic, Dzevad Salcin, Nedzad Hodzic and Zulfikar Alispago, for the trial in Trusina. According to the charges, 18 civilians and four captured members of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, were killed.
Rasema Handanovic, known as Zolja, admitted guilt for having participated in the shooting in Gaj hamlet. She was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison.
According to the witness testimony, in addition to members of the Zulfikar Unit, soldiers from Vakuf and members of the Tigers Unit participated in the attack on Trusina.
The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina previously proposed protected witness K as its witness, but it has since given up examining him. He testified as per an invitation by the Defence of Hakalovic, Hodzic and Bojadzic.
The trial is due to continue on July 15.
