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The witness, Gano Muslic, said that members of the Croatian Defence Council imprisoned him and on July 9, 1993, took him to dig trenches with other prisoners at the Zepca crossroads.
“The defendant forced us to take the goat track by threes, and whenever we reached a spot with mud and water he would shout: ‘Airplanes!’ We had to drop down every time and it happened on numerous occasions on the way to our destination,” recalled Muslic.
According to the witness, defendant Martic separated prisoners into two groups and ordered them to dig.
“However, the shooting started so we dropped down and started crawling back to the defendant. He started cursing us and telling us to resume digging. We could not because the bullets were flying all around us. Then he started shooting at us. He hit me in the right arm and right leg. That’s when Samir Jasic was wounded too,“ said Muslic, adding that he still suffers consequences from that wounding.
Muslic said that during the investigation he was shown several photographs on which he recognised the defendant as the person who wounded him.
Martic, former menber of the Croatian Defence Council, was charged with taking a group of around a dozen imprisoned soldiers of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the territory of Zepca, from the school in Perkovici, towards the frontlines of the Croatian Defence Council in July 1993, and forcing them to crawl through the mud, as well wounding two prisoners.
The Zenica Cantonal Prosecution also questioned Samir Jasic, who said that, after being imprisoned, he too was taken to dig trenches in July 1993.
“The defendant and another young man took me. He had a black uniform with the insignia of the Croatian Defence Council. He was called ‘domobran’ and only later did I find out his name was Mato Martic. I haven’t seen him since that day until now, but I immediately recognised him in the courtroom, it’s as if I see him today shooting at me. I did not think I would feel that fear again, I thought it would be different, his is the face I would never forget,” said Jasic.
Jasic testified that on the way Martic ordered the prisoners to roll in the mud and hit him with his rifle butt to the back and kidneys.
“When we arrived, we started digging, but the shooting started too. We dropped down, but he ordered us: ‘Stand up! Dig!’ Mato pointed his rifle at me and fired a shot. He hit me in the side. I fell and then Gano fell. There was a tree in front of me and I felt for it to stand up. I watched him aim and shoot me in the arm that I used to hold onto the tree. I fell, my hand gave up,” recalled Jasic.
The witness said that Martic did not allow anyone to help the wounded until the commander came and issued an order.
The trial will resume on April 21.
