Women Spoke about Ear Cutting

Testifying at the trial of two indictees, who are charged with crimes on Mount Igman, Hadzici municipality, a State Prosecution witness says that “women in Tarcin” said that Struja cut off a prisoner of war’s ear.

Witness Ekrem Madesko said that, while he was member of the working squad with “Zulfikar” Unit of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Igman, he did not hear that prisoners were mistreated or physically abused.

“I certainly did not hear, at that time, that somebody’s ear was cut off. I heard about it only two or three months later, when I went to Tarcin. Women were talking about it,” Madesko said.

In his statement given during the investigation, which Prosecutor Vladimir Simovic presented at this hearing, the witness said that rumours said that Dzevad Salcin, also known as Struja, had cut off a prisoner’s ear.

While being cross-examined by the Defence, Madesko explained that he mentioned a person nicknamed Struja during the investigation, but that he did not mention Dzevad Salcin, because he did not even know the full name of the “Zulfikar” Squad member, whom everybody called by his nickname – Struja.

Salcin’s Defence attorney Kerim Celik objected to the minutes, claiming that “expert assistants suggested Dzevad Salcin during the examination”.

Witness Madesko confirmed having heard another person, besides Salcin, being called by the nickname Struja, but he did not know who it was.
Salcin and Nedzad Hodzic are on trial for having committed torture, beating and sexual abuse of detainees in 1993.

Madesko said that he kept guard near the place, where the prisoners were, and that neither heard nor saw that anybody beat them. “Nobody could enter the place without me seeing him. While I was on duty, nobody could mistreat them. I do not know what happened after that…” the witness said, specifying that he spent two hours on duty each day.

Madesko said that he remembered Salcin as “a good person and friend, who liked to drink alcohol”, adding that he met indictee Hodzic in Jablanica later on.

Muzafer Karic, another member of the working squad with “Zulfikar” Unit, who was on Mount Igman from the summer of 1992 to January 1993, testified at this hearing as well.

He said that he remembered one prisoner from Igman. He said that he did not see that anybody was beaten or mistreated, but he heard that somebody entered the premises, where the prisoners were held.

“One can see that a person was beaten up. He says that somebody hit him,” Karic said, adding that he did not hear the names of the persons, who hit the prisoners.

He remembers Hodzic and Struja, as well as other members of “Zulfikar” Unit, from Igman.

The trial is due to continue on March 13.