Burst of Bullets Fired at Captive

Being a paramedic, Sefik Rizvic wanted to offer first aid to a captured member of the Fifth Corps of ABiH, but his superior officer Mujagic prevented him from doing so.

“He pushed me and said that he would deal with that. He dealt with it by firing a burst of bullets at him. He then began examining another prisoner. He pushed him in front of the killed man. Ismet Omanovic, also known as Tajson, grabbed the other, alive prisoner, by his hair, pointed a rifle towards him and forced him to crawl towards a house on the hill,” Rizvic recalled.

The witness said that Asim Mujagic then began shooting in his direction. When the captive stopped at some point, Sulejman Mujagic began shooting towards him too.

“He ordered me to go get a blanket and evacuate the body of killed comrade Fikret Topcagic. I do not know what happened to the body of the killed captive and the other surviving prisoner,” Rizvic said.    

Responding to Defence’s questions, Rizvic said that the terrain was mountainous and that they were scattered around due to combat activities, so he did not know whether everybody could see what was going on.   

The Defence objected to the witness’ testimony, saying that it would analyse it in its closing statement.

The indictment charges Mujagic with the murder of one captive and wounding of another one in the Kumarica region, near Velika Kladusa, in March 1995.

It is alleged that, after they had been captured, Mujagic physically abused them and then killed Ekrem Baltic and wounded Nisvet Cordic from an automatic gun.

Rasim Latic, Jasmin Topcagic and Becir Zahirovic, who too were members of the Third Squad with the First Brigade of the National Defence of the Western Bosnia Autonomous Region, which was commanded by indictee Sulejman Mujagic, known as Brada, in 1995, testified at this hearing as well.

Witness Latic, indictee Mujagic’s close relative, said that he saw the captive, whom Mujagic treated in an inhumane manner, adding that he heard about the murder of the other captive from his comrade Sefik Rizvic.

Witness Becir Zahirovic said that Ismet Omanovic, known as Tajson, pulled the other captive by his hair and ordered him to crawl, adding that they then shot at him.

He said that he heard from Rizvic that Sulejman Mujagic killed one prisoner.  

The Prosecution objected to the witness’ testimony, claiming that he said, during the investigation, that he saw Mujagic killing one and wounding another prisoner.  

The trial of Mujagic is due to continue on November 4 and 5.