Bozic’s Taken away from Bukovica

Witness Stanisa Maric said that a search of houses in Bukovica village began at around 9 a.m., when soldiers, who were dressed in green uniforms, came to his house.
 
“One of them entered the house, while Sedjad briefly looked into the summer kitchen and stable from the door and said that everything was OK. The only thing they found in the house was a Yugoslav National Army, JNA, uniform, which everybody had been given. I took to the road, where the other soldiers were. I know Djerahovic, because his father and my father were each other’s best men. This guy, sitting here, looks like him, but many years have passed,” said witness Stanisa Maric, pointing to indictee Djerahovic.
 
According to the witness’ testimony, the soldiers took him to his neighbour Andjelko Bozic’s house.
 
“The Bozic family members were standing in front of the house. Their mother was sitting on the doorstep. They were dressed in everyday, peasant clothes. They left me and younger son Veseljko in front of the house with a soldier, while the other soldiers took Nedeljko and Andjelko away. When they came back, they brought Nedeljko’s pistol, which, as far as I know, he was assigned as a reserve sub-officer with JNA. They let me go home at around 11 o’clock,” Stanisa Maric said.
 
Maric said that, a short time later some other soldiers in blue uniforms came to the village. He saw them taking the three Bozic family members with them.
 
“They put a fur hat on Andjelko’s head and put a paper with four letters ‘S’ on it. They hanged a petroleum canister around his neck. Their hands were tied. They invited me and neighbour Dragan Lazic. A man named Kubat told me to report to a school building in Tetovo. When we came to the school, they examined us. Nobody hurt us in any way, although, as we were approaching the school building, some soldiers shouted: ‘Here come Chetniks. There will be beating’. We waited for Commander Jasmin Saric, who ordered them, later on, to let us go,” Stanisa Maric said.
 
Stanisa Maric said that soldiers then offered them lunch. After that they were taken back home.
 
“When I came to the village, I heard that Veseljko Bozic and a group of soldiers were looking for weapons in the village. They came to my place as well. Veseljko said that I had a box full of weapons, which was not true. I said that Veseljko was not himself and that he seemed totally lost. Kubat responded by saying: ‘I know. This guy is taking us around like fools’. They had coffee and brandy at my place and left,” Stanisa Maric said, adding that he heard, the following day, that Andjelko was killed and that his sons were in a prison in Zenica.
 
Sedjad Djerahovic and Jasmin Saric are charged with having participated in physical abuse of Andjelko Bozic and his sons Nedeljko and Veseljko in Bukovica village, Zenica municipality, on June 16, 1992. Andjelko Bozic died due to having been beaten, while his sons received severe injuries.    
 
Testifying at this hearing, second witness Slobodan Maric said that he found himself at home in Bukovica village in the morning, when the search began. He said that Djerahovic and another soldier entered his house.
 
“They searched the cabinet drawers a bit. They found about ten bullets, which we exchanged while hunting, and two hunting rifles. They did nothing to me. Djerahovic even told the other soldier not to beat me, when they found the bullets,” Slobodan Maric said.
 
According to Slobodan Maric, a short time later some other soldiers came to his home. They looked for rifles and forced him to show them Serb houses.
                   
“Then they forced Veseljko Bozic and Radoje Maric to go into my basement. They hit them on their backs, asking them to show them where the weapons were, but they then realised that they were in a wrong house, so they left. Later on I heard that the Bozics were taken away, but I saw nothing,” said Slobodan Maric.
 
The trial is due to continue on November 11.