Bosnian Soldier Pleads Innocent to Mutilating Prisoners

Ex-soldier Dzevad Salcin pleaded not guilty on Monday to the war crimes charges, while Nedzad Hodzic refused to plead.

According to the prosecution, Hodzic and Salcin, as members of the Zulfikar detachment of the Bosnian Army, tortured, beat and sexually abused prisoners, cut off body parts and committed other inhuman acts.

They allegedly abused the prisoners at the Mraziste hotel and at other locations on Mount Igman after the Serb detainees were brought in from the Silos and Krupa detention camps in Tarcin and the Croats from the Musala detention camp in Konjic.

Salcin said that the trial was staged. Talking about a count in the indictment that mentions “a piece of an ear”, he said he did not remember that because he had been drunk, and that he was not either denying or admitting his responsibility.

“I am not guilty. I declare that I even did not have lunch with Nedzad [Hodzic],” said Salcin, who is also on trial for war crimes against Croats in Trusina.

When asked to enter his plea, Hodzic replied: “By God, I don’t know.” The pre-trial judge Ljubomir Kitic concluded that he had pleaded not guilty.

Before that, lawyer Midhat Koco said he had read the indictment to Hodzic, but that the defendant did not understand what he was being told.

Judge Kitic said he knew about the health problems of Hodzic, who is also on trial for war crimes in Trusina, but that experts had determined that he was capable of following the trial.

Koco pointed out that the experts’ report also stated they could say for certain whether he is capable of following the trial or not.

“These experts were contradictory, I have already filed a criminal suit,” he said.