Adzic a Good Solider

Mirko Sinanovic, former member of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, said that he was superior to indictee Perica Adzic in 1993 and that Adzic was a good soldier while he was sober, but he would “gain strength after consuming alcohol”. He said that he was not present in Zepce in July 1993, but he was in Zagreb, undergoing medical treatment, so he did not know the details regarding the abuse of prisoners of war, but “a disciplinary procedure was probably initiated” due to what the indictee did. Sinanovic said that the rules of conduct during the war were not explained to HVO members, adding that he did not know much about them either, but they were taught how to handle weapons as the most important thing was to make sure that all of them stayed alive. Perica Adzic is charged with having participated in the mistreatment of prisoners of war, who were held in a classroom of the school building in Zepce in July 1993. Milenko Sumic, former HVO officer, said that soldiers did not undergo training on rules of war, but, while he was a member of the Yugoslav National Army, JNA, he learnt the basic things on how to treat civilians and prisoners of war. He said that, following military operations, HVO members used to spend their free time in cafes, drinking alcohol, and that he heard that, following the breakout of the conflict between the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH, and HVO, in the town, Adzic was wounded by his schoolmate Nermin Purak and that indictee Adzic and his cousin Veljko abused him in the school building, where wounded members of the Army of BiH later stayed. The trial is due to continue on October 10.