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Presenting her closing arguments to the Sarajevo court on Friday, prosecutor Slavica Terzic said that it had been proved that Subotic, alias Geler (‘Shrapnel’), committed the crimes against civilians who were murdered in the village of Dusina near Zenica in January 1993.
Subotic is accused, as a member of the Seventh Muslim Brigade of the Bosnian Army, of entering the village with other members of his unit and capturing 40 civilians and several disarmed Croatian Defence Council soldiers.
After that, he took eight Croatian civilians to a house, where he ordered brigade members to kill them, it is alleged.
The prosecution said that the civilian victims were elderly and that the captured Croatian Defence Council soldiers had surrendered their weapons.
“Witnesses confirmed that they were out of combat positions… Subotic knew they had laid down their arms,” Terzic said.
The defence however insisted that the allegations had not been proved, insisting that Subotic had not been in Dusina at the time and should be acquitted.
“The defendant was seriously wounded before this incident. He didn’t know members of the unit, and didn’t participate in the action. He didn’t go to Dusina village. He was 19 years then and he had no motive or reason to commit this crime,” said defence lawyer Vukica Marjanovic-Suljic.
Marjanovic-Suljic also said that prosecution witnesses were inconsistent in their statements. At the time of the incident, she said, Subotic had two visible scars on his face, which the witnesses didn’t mention.
The defendant meanwhile made his own personal plea to the court.
“I’m truly sorry for all the victims, not just these, but all victims from all sides. I want to say that, on all counts of the indictment, I don’t feel guilty,” Subotic said.
The verdict will be announced on November 7.
