Witness Saw Neighbour Being Taken Away by Soldier

Prosecution witness Vladimir Mijac says that he saw defendant Eniz Basic, a former member of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, lead his neighbour Luka Sestan away from his home. Sestan’s burnt body was found a few days later.

Basic is charged with expelling two civilians from a house in the village of Vardiste in April 1993. The charred bodies of those civilians were found a few days later. The case is currently being tried at the Cantonal Court in Zenica.

In his testimony, Mijac said that he was about 50 meters away from his house in Vardiste, when he saw his neighbour being taken away.

“Luka’s hands were not tied. He walked in front of Eniz Basic, looking down, They left towards the neighbouring village of Dobriljeno,” Mijac said.

He said that local residents from the two villages of Vardiste and Dobriljeno knew each other. He added that he knew Basic was a member of the reserve police force and that he had “a bluish police sign” on his arm.

The defense asked how Mijac could have seen Basic, considering the distance between his home and the house in question. Mijac responded that his house was located on the lower side of the road, “on a mild slope, near which he stood”.

Basic objected to the Mijac’s testimony, saying that he could not possibly know him, that they lived far apart and that there was a large age difference between them.

Basic added that considering the distance and positioning, Mijac could not have possibly seen him leading away Sestan. Basic added that Mijac would have seen him from the right-hand side, so he would not have been able to see the police badge on his left arm.

In response, Mijac stuck to his testimony, and restated that he knew Basic. Mijac added that since he knew Basic was a member of the reserve police force, he assumed that Basic also had a badge. Mijac stated that he “saw it from sideways on the right-hand side” and that the distance between them was 50 or 60 meters.

The trial is due to continue on February 23.