Victim’s Husband Didn’t Accuse Brestovac of Murder, Witness Says

Brestovac, a former member of the public safety station in Doboj, has been charged with participating in the murder of civilians Muharem, Muhamed and Ismeta Aldobasic in June 1992. He was allegedly accompanied by Cvjetko Sarcevic, who has since deceased.

At today’s hearing, defense witness Maksim Starcevic told the district court of Doboj that he knew Petra Aldobasic, now deceased. He said she told him her husband, Muharem, had been killed in front of his house in Doboj.

“We talked about it. What she said was imprecise. At first she said the army had done it, but then she said it had been done by the police. She mentioned Sarcevic and Marko Zec. She never mentioned Vojo’s [Brestovac’s] name,” Starcevic said.

Defense witness Milan Brestovac, the defendant’s nephew, said his uncle was a construction worker who worked in Croatia and Slovenia. He said he was mobilized by the police at the beginning of the war and was deployed to police checkpoints.

“The checkpoints were set in front of the hospital and the Orthodox church in the Bare neighbourhood. There were many of them in Doboj. He didn’t work at the checkpoints at night, because he had to take care of two small children,“ Brestovac said.

Brestovac was unable to respond to questions from the trial chamber on whether the defendant was sent to other checkpoints and whether he was assigned a sniper.

Defense witness Manojlo Stojcinovic also said the defendant became a member of the police after the mobilization. He also described Cvjetko Sarcevic as “an aggressive and hot-tempered man.”

The trial will continue on November 19.