Hodzic Capable of Following Trial Defence Requests New Examination
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Midhat Koco, Defence attorney of Hodzic, considers that the finding is incomplete. He said that not all planned examinations had been conducted, proposing to the Court to order a new expert examination at a hospital in Sarajevo.
Nera Zivlak-Radulovic, court expert in medical issues, presented the findings prepared by a team of experts, who examined Hodzic in December last year.
As she said, the expert examination determined that he had brain injuries. Also, the experts noticed a low-level damage of his intellectual functions.
This does not mean that he does not understand what happens. The low-level damage does not exclude the capability of following the trial, the court expert said, proposing that hearings last about three hours with breaks.
She said that Hodzic did not suffer from a permanent mental illness, adding that he was not legally insane.
Defence attorney Koco objected to the Trial Chamber for having decided to subject Hodzic, former member of Zulfikar Squad with the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH, to examination at a hospital in Banja Luka.
The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina charges Hodzic with having participated in the shooting of several Croat civilians and members of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, on April 16, 1993.
Hodzic is on trial, along with Mensur Memic, Dzevad Salcin, Senad Hakalovic, Nihad Bojadzic and Zulfikar Alispago, for crimes in Trusina. According to the charges, 18 civilians and four HVO soldiers were killed in the ABiHs attack on that village.
Hodzic has been subjected to examinations several times so far. Court expert Abdulah Kucukalic said that he was a legally insane person, who was not capable of following the trial, while other court experts said that, in medical terms, there were no obstacles to him following the trial.
The Trial Chamber will decide concerning the Defences proposal for a new expert examination of Hodzic at a later stage. Hodzic is on trial, along with Salcin, in a separate case for having committed crimes against Croats and Serbs on Mount Igman.
The trial is due to continue on February 24.
