Bojadzic with Beard

Wartime correspondent of Oslobodjenje daily from Sarajevo – Sefko Hodzic told the Court that he went to Jablanica on September 1, 1993 in order to report from the Herzegovina battlefield, adding that he saw indictee Bojadzic there.

Hodzic said that he photographed Bojadzic several times in that period and that he always had a beard and was rather skinny.

A few State Prosecution witnesses said that, in August and September 1993 they did not notice any specific features on Bojadzic’s face and that he was a rather big and burly man.   

Bojadzic, former Deputy Commander of “Zulfikar” Squad with the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is charged with having torture, sexually abused and raped Croats, who were detained in “The Battle of Neretva” Museum in Jablanica and Rogica houses in Donja Jablanica, in the second half of 1993.

Witness Hodzic said that, one day in September he saw unknown members of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina beating Croat prisoners in Jablanica and that Bojadzic then came and ordered them to leave.

“Later on he told me that he made a report about it,” Hodzic said.  

Testifying in defence of Bojadzic at this hearing, Zijat Music, former Deputy Commander of Dreznica Independent Battalion of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that he saw the indictee in Dreznica a few days after August 6, 1993.  

“A part of Zulfikar Squad came as a resource unit after that date. I used to see him during that period. He looked skinny and had beard,” Music said.
Omer Pinic, former Chief of Medical Unit with the Independent Battalion in Dreznica, testified about Bojadzic’s stay in Dreznica as well. He confirmed that the indictee had a beard in that period.

“He was visibly concerned and exhausted. He was untidy and had a beard. He was much skinnier too,” Pinic said.

The trial is due to continue on September 25.