Jukic: Disappearance of Husband, Father and Brother
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Semsa Becirovic, who used to live in Lug village, Prozor municipality with her husband and two minor children, said that members of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO often entered villages in that municipality during June and July 1993, taking Bosniak men to detention camps.
Becirovic said that her husband and other male residents, who were capable of military service, were taken away on July 17, 1993.
A truck full with men left the village and headed towards Prozor. They were taken to the Secondary School Centre. They took them from the Centre to other locations, where they had to perform hard labour and dig trenches, Becirovic said.
She said that she visited her husband at the Centre immediately after he had been taken away, adding that this was the last time she saw him alive. When she visited the Centre the next time in August 1993, her husband was no longer there.
When I noticed that my husband was not in the classroom, I started looking for him in the hallways. I came across Arif Pilav, our former neighbour, who told me that Zeljko Jukic had taken my brother Ibro away the evening before. I did not know that he was held in that building as well, the witness said.
Zeljko Jukic is charged with having participated in the persecution of Bosniak civilians, murders and the forcible disappearances of people from Prozor from July to September 1993. Becirovic said that she had never found her brothers remains.
My husbands remains have been found. The identification paper said that he died a violent death. I buried his remains, Becirovic said.
As she said, Becirovic stayed in the house in Lug until August 9, 1993, when she left the village along with other local residents. She found out about her fathers fate from her mother, who told her that indictee Jukic took him out of the truck, and did not let him leave their village of Ustirama with other local residents.
The Trial Chamber invited Ibrahim Grcic to testify at this hearing. Grcic testified as State Prosecution witness at the previous hearing held on November 15 this year. As he was leaving the courtroom, Grcic cursed the indictees Ustasha mother. A court policeman, who was guarding the indictee, heard that and reported him to the Trial Chamber.
Trial Chamber Chairwoman Jasmina Kosovic asked Grcic to confirm whether it was true that he cursed the indictee and explain why he did it.
That is true. I will not hide it. By looking at the indictees lips, I could see that he was cursing me too. I apologise to the Court for my behavior, but I cannot apologise to the indictee. After all those things that I have suffered and survived, I cannot do it Grcic explained.
The next hearing is due to be held on December 27, 2012.
