Questions about Statement Given During Investigation

Testifying at the trial for crimes in the Kladanj area, a State Prosecution witness says that Serbs, who were accommodated in the educational workers’ buildings in Stupari, were allowed to go outside.

Mehmed Hadzikic, former member of reserve police forces, said that he guarded the Serbs, who were accommodated in the educational workers’ buildings in Stupari. As he said, they guarded them in order to make sure that nobody could come from the outside and cause problems.
 
“The civilians could freely move within the range of 200 or 300 metres. Policemen protected them. They could go further away, but they did not want to,” the witness said.
 
Hadzikic said that he considered Safet Mujcinovic and Ramiz Halilovic, as well as Rifet Kadric, as his superiors. He said that he did not know for sure who gave tasks to policemen.
 
According to the witness’ testimony, the Serb detainees could visit their homes, fetch food and come back, but they could not leave the educational workers’ buildings permanently.
 
As he said, it was known to him that a group of Serbs came to the Police Station and requested to be safeguarded, so they were accommodated in the educational workers’ buildings afterwards.
 
Prosecutor Dragan Corlija read a statement given by the witness during the investigation. The statement alleges that the Serbs could not leave the building. “That is not written correctly,” witness Hadzikic said.
 
Corlija said that, during the investigation the witness said that Mujcinovic informed him that one of the detainees had fled and ordered him and his colleague to search for him. The witness said that he was not sure that it was Mujcinovic.

The incident involving that detainee, happened in late May 1993. The witness said that he was sure that Mujcinovic was not Commander of Police in Stupari in that period. According to the charges, the indictee was appointed Commander of the Police Station in Kladanj on April 1, 1993.
 
The indictment alleges that Mujcinovic, former Commander of the Police Station in Stupari, organized and supervised detainees, who were guarded by reserve policemen. It further alleges that Serb civilians from Stupari were unlawfully detained in the educational workers’ buildings.
 
Mujcinovic and Halilovic are on trial, along with Selman Busnov, Nusret Muhic, Zijad Hamzic, Nedzad Hodzic, Hariz Habibovic, Osman Gogic and Kahro Vejzovic, former members of the civil and military police and the Territorial Defence in Stupari, for crimes committed in Kladanj.
 
Second State Prosecution witness Mladen Mijatovic said that, just like some other Serbs, he could move freely in Kladanj.
 
“No pressure was put on my family,” he said, adding that he joined the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina in November 1992.
 
The Prosecutor said that this proved that Serbs could move freely, work and do other things in Kladanj. Responding to the Defence’s questions, Mijatovic said that his apartment was searched and that no weapons were found. He agreed with the Defence’s allegation that Serbs, who did not possess weapons, were not arrested.  
 
Third State Prosecution witness Hasib Vejzovic said that, in his capacity as reserve policeman in Stupari, he guarded detained Serbs, “so they would not be endangered by anybody”.
 
The trial is due to continue on February 28.