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Witness Miralem Muratovic, former member of the 44th Mountain Brigade of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that he stayed in Jablanica during the entire course of the war and that members of “Zulfikar” Unit, including indictee Nedzad Hodzic, came to that place in April 1993.
“Nedzad was a fine guy with black, rather short hair. His physical built was like mine. He was a small built guy, perhaps a 1.7 m tall. He had no scars. He was a fine and nice looking guy,” Muratovic said, adding that Hodzic’s nickname was Johnny and that he had a Sandzak accent.
According to the witness’ testimony, Hodzic was friendly and normal. He said that he had never heard that he had problems or mistreated anybody.
Some of the State Prosecution witnesses described Hodzic as “a strongly-built man” with a scar.
Muratovic said that another person named Nedzad was among the “Zulfikar” Unit members, whom he met in Jablanica, that he too had Sandzak accent, but he was bigger, his hair was lighter and his nickname was Pjevac.
Nedzad Hodzic and Dzevad Salcin, former members of the “Zulfikar” Squad with ABiH, are on trial for having tortured, beat and sexually abused prisoners on Mount Igman, cut parts of their bodies, intimidated them and participated in other inhumane acts.
When asked by Defence attorney Nedzla Sehic whether it was easy to travel from Jablanica to Mount Igman in the period from April to July 1993, witness Muratovic said that it was “very difficult”.
“Jablanica was surrounded, so I was not even able to go to Konjic for six months,” Muratovic said.
At this hearing Hodzic’s Defence invited witness Ivica Zilic, wartime driver of the Jablanica municipality mayor, who said that he met Nedzad Hodzic and other members of “Zulfikar” Squad with the Army of BiH in 1993, when they arrived in the Jablanica area.
“Nedzad was a short, black-haired person. He had Sandzak accent… He behaved normally. He neither caused problems to me nor to my family,” Zilic said.
Both witnesses said that they heard that Hodzic was wounded on his head and that they saw him after the war but it was difficult to communicate with him.
The trial of Hodzic and Salcin is due to continue on Thursday, November 13.
