Witness Describes Murder of Parents in Trebecaj During Bosnian War

Testifying at a trial of Mirko Bunoza, Edhem Godinjak and Medaris Saric, a prosecution witness said he heard that Bunoza killed his parents, and that Godinjak didn’t protect them.

Mirko Bunoza, Edhem Godinjak and Medaris Saric have been charged with participating in a joint criminal enterprise aimed at the murder and detention of Serbs in villages in the area of ​​Trnovo. According to the indictment, Godinjak was the chief of the public safety station in Trnovo, Saric was the commander of the Territorial Defense Headquarters in Trnovo, and Bunoza was a commander of Croatian Defense Forces units.

The witness, Luka Knezevic, said that after the war started, his parents stayed in the area, in the village of Trebecaj. Knezevic left the area at the end of May 1992, because he heard attacks were forthcoming. He said he saw his parents for the last time in late May or early June 1992.

“Father didn’t want to go. He said he lived with his neighbors, he wasn’t a participant in the war and that probably no one would harm him since he’s old,” Knezevic said.

He said he later found out that his parents were killed, and that his sisters attended their exhumation in 1993.

“I was given a story that my father was hit in the head by Bunoza, and when my mother stood up to protect him, he cut her down with a burst of gunfire. So he killed my mother and father for breakfast,” Knezevic said. He said Mirko Bunoza wasn’t from the area, and said he believed he was brought there “with some kind of plan.”

Bunoza’s defense attorney said that statement was untrue, to which Knezevic replied “That’s your opinion.”

Knezevic said that before the war he socialized with Edo Godinjak. He said he believed Edo Godinjak could have protected his parents, and said he would never forgive him for failing to do so.

“I did do many good things for him in life, so he could have done it,” he said. He said he also held Godinjak responsible for other crimes inflicted upon the Serb population of Trnovo.

Godinjak’s defense attorney asked whether it was true that Knezevic wasn’t in Trnovo during the war, and as such couldn’t have known what Godinjak had done. Knezevic confirmed that he was not in Trnovo during the war, but had heard stories about Godinjak’s wartime activities.

Godinjak’s defense attorney also asked Knezevic whether it was true that Godinjak protected those he could. Knezevic responded by saying, “there were also those he didn’t protect.”

Before the war, Knezevic worked at the municipality of Trnovo, after which he was relieved of his post as “ineligible cadre.” He said he wasn’t eligible to join the Serb Democratic Party. During this period, he was also a member of the Peace Council, which was established in order to restore calm after attacks that occurred in the area.

The trial will continue on April 28.