Witness Describes Murder of Serb Civilians in Trnovo

Godinjak, Saric and Bunoza have been charged with participating in a joint criminal enterprise aimed at killing and detaining Serb civilians in the territory of Trnovo.

Godinjak was the chief of the public safety station in Trnovo, Saric was the commander of the Territorial Defense in Trnovo, while Bunoza was the commander of a Croatian Defense Forces unit.

A protected state prosecution witness known as A testified at today’s hearing. A told the court that members of the Croatian Defense Forces killed two elderly civilians in Trnovo.

“My findings indicated that they killed a married couple in the village of Dejcic,” he said. He said he heard that Croatian Defense Forces members committed other murders as well.

A described the murder of the Cvijetic family, Danilo Pucar, and a priest named Nedjo Popovic. He also described the murders of other Serbs in the Trnovo area.

He said he didn’t witness any of the murders, but heard about them from other people.

“That’s how things stand. I heard those things in passing. I saw nothing,” he said.

In response to questions from defense attorney Edina Residovic, A said he hadn’t confirmed his allegations. He said he didn’t know whether the people who told him about the killings had witnessed them.

A said Godinjak played a main role in the persecution of Serbs from the area.

“He was involved in organizing resistance. He was one of the most important people,” he said.

Residovic asked A how he came to that conclusion. A said he heard about Godinjak’s status “on the street, through hearsay.”

The trial will continue on July 14.