Witness Describes Attacks on Serb Villages in Trnovo by Army and Police

Bunoza, Godinjak and Saric have been charged with participating in a joint criminal enterprise aimed at killing and detaining Serb civilians in the Trnovo area. The indictment alleges that Bunoza was the commander of Croatian Defense Forces units in the area, Godinjak was the chief of police in Trnovo and Saric was the commander of the Territorial Defense in Trnovo.

Ferid Mizdrak, a former assistant commander for operational and educational affairs with the Headquarters of the Territorial Defense in Trnovo, testified at today’s hearing. Mizdrak said all his findings about the attacks on civilians in Trnovo originated from other people.

Mizdrak said he heard that civil police, the Croatian Defense Forces and the Territorial Defense jointly participated in operations in villages in the municipality of Trnovo. He said he heard that military units and civil police jointly participated in attacks on the villages of Lisovici, Barice, Trebecaj and Deseci.

Mizdrak said he heard that members of the Croatian Defense Forces, Territorial Defense and civil police from the village of Sabici participated in an operation in Bijela Lijeska, in which he’d heard that civilians had been killed.

Mizdrak said he heard that defendant Edhem Godinjak participated in an attack on Rogoj with civil police forces and Territorial Defense forces. He said he brought civilians and captured Serb soldiers to a kindergarten in Trnovo.

Responding to questions from the defense, Mizdrak said he didn’t participate in the Rogoj attack. He agreed with defense attorney Edina Residovic’s assessment that anyone could have brought civilians and captives to Trnovo.

Mizdrak said these attacks took place after Serb forces occupied the center of Trnovo in May 1992.

Mizdrak said that the Territorial Defense was formed after soon afterwards. He said defendant Medaris Saric was appointed Territorial Defense commander, while defendant Edhem Godinjak was appointed the head of Territorial Defense Headquarters. Mizdrak said Godinjak was also the head of the public safety station in Trnovo. Mizdrak said defendant Medaris Saric came to Trnovo in order to set up defense lines and work on the establishment of units.

Godinjak’s defense attorney presented Mizdrak with documents which indicated that prior to the occupation of Trnovo in August 1992, police forces in the area had been subordinated to the Territorial Defense. Defense attorney Edina Residovic said the police did not perform its regular tasks at that time.