Macic: Defence Doubts Fairness of Trial

Kadrija Kolic, Defence attorney for Eso Macic, requested the recusal of judge Jasmina Kosovic, claiming he “doubts the trial is fair”.

After Kolic had examined a Prosecution witness about his previous statements, asking him about “the investigator’s hair colour” and “the chair on which he was sitting”, the Trial Chamber warned him and then banned him from continuing with that type of questioning. The Defence attorney responded by saying he “has more experience in cross-examination than the Chamber Chairwoman”.

“The Chamber Chairwoman was irritated by the fact that we compromised the witness. We are therefore asking that recuse herself because her conduct does not guarantee the fairness of the trial,” Kolic said.

The date of the next hearing will be set once the Defence’s request has been decided upon at a general Court’s session.

Witnesses Branko Sinikovic and Mladen Vukalo, former detainees in the Celebici detention camp, testified at this hearing. They said the indictee participated in beating the elderly Scepo Gotovac to death.

“Scepo Gotovac was 70 years old or maybe even older. As soon as they brought him to the hangar, Hazim Delic, Esad Landzo, Eso Macic, known as Makaron, Almir Padalovic, a Kravar and some other people started beating him…

“Hazim Delic told him: ‘Do you remember having slaughtered two Muslims at this place back in 1942?’ Scepo said he did not remember, he did not do it,” Sinikovic said.

The Hague Tribunal sentenced Hazim Delic, who was first a deputy and then manager of Celebici detention camp, to 18 years in prison and Esad Landzo, a former guard, to 15 years behind bars.

The witness continued, explaining that the men beat Gotovac in front of the hangar. He said that as he was carrying the old man together with another detainee back into the building, Landzoc came running and hit the man on his chest with his foot.

“They came back again and ordered me and Novica Zelenovic to carry Scepo out. They started beating him right away. The same guys did it, except for Hazim, whom I did not see this time. Novica and I were just standing there, frozen. They continued beating him until he was dead,” Sinikovic said.

The indictment charges Eso Macic, former member of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH, with war crimes against civilians and prisoners of war committed in the Celebici detention camp in Brdjani in June 1992. He allegedly brutally beat up an elderly Serb civilian, together with unidentified guards. The civilian died from the injuries sustained in the beating.

Witness Sinikovic also testified about the murder of three other prisoners. He said he thought that the indictee was involved in the beating of Simo Jovanovic as well.

“Whenever Landzo came with Eso, I knew that someone would be killed,” the witness said.

Witness Mladen Vukalo confirmed that the indictee was among the persons who beat Gotovac.