Salcin Described as an Ordinary Man by Defense Witness
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Salcin and Nedzad Hodzic, both former member of the Zulfikar Unit of the Bosnian Army, are charged with the torture, assault, and sexual abuse of Serb prisoners on Mount Igman in 1993.
The first defense witness at todays hearing was Zaim Softic, a former member of the Zulfikar Unit. According to Softic, Salcin and another member of the squad shared the nickname of Struja.
“There was another unit member, who used to drive an SUV, whose nickname was Struja,” said Softic.
Softic said he didnt have any contact with this person, but he saw him on Mount Igman in February and March 1993.
“I heard that he was a quarrelsome man. He was a bit arrogant,” Softic said.
When asked by the defendant whether he had ever driven a car, Softic said no way. Who would have given a car to you?
According to Softic, Salcin did not cause any incidents and was an ordinary man.
When asked by prosecutor Vladimir Simovic whether he knew a prisoner named Dragan Vukovic, Softic said that he heard about him but didnt know what had happened to him.
According to the indictment, Salcin cut Vukovic’s ear off while he was a prisoner on Mount Igman.
Softic testified in defence of Nedzad Hodzic on October 23, 2014. During his testimony he said that he hadnt seen prisoners being mistreated on Mount Igman in 1993. He also said he hadnt heard that Nedzad Hodzic mistreated anyone.
The second defense witness, Radovan Supic, said that Salcin was a former colleague of his from before the war. They were both employees of the tourism and catering organization in Gacko, where Salcin worked as an electrician.
Dzevad was one of the most diligent workers…The Working Organization gave him an apartment. A Serb was the best man at his wedding. He was one of the most favoured persons. He was a noble man of wit and came from a nice family, Supic said.
Supic said that their colleagues nicknamed the defendant Struja (which means electric current in Bosnian) because he smiled all the time.
According to Supic, the company had an ethnic breakdown of around 75 percent Serb, 25 percent Bosniak, and one percent Croat. All the employees liked Salcin, he said.
“There isnt a person Gacko who didnt like Dzevad,” Supic said. He said that he told Salcin to leave Gacko in 1992, because “the extremists took him.”
The trial will continue on February 26.
