Shooting Towards a Witness

Ilija Kaleb said that, after having been wounded in the “Zulfikar” Base on September 20, 1993, he was transported to a war hospital in Jablanica, where he received medical assistance.

As he said, one day later two soldiers came to his hospital room. He said that one of them was an acquaintance of his from Alipasino Polje neighbourhood, Sarajevo, but he was not able to remember his name. The witness said that his acquaintance told him that the second soldier’s name was Nihad Bojadzic.

“That man pulled out his pistol, pointed it towards me and pulled the trigger, but there were no bullets,” the witness said, adding that he did not know that the pistol was not charged.

The witness did not accept a Defence’s allegation that he met Bojadzic under completely different circumstances. The Defence asked the witness why he failed to mention to investigators of the Security and Information Service, SIS, of Herceg-Bosna that Bojadzic mistreated him, but told them, instead, that he examined him about weapons and money. He explained that they were interested in other data.

The Defence said that the witness spoke about mistreatments committed by other individuals.

The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina charges Bojadzic, former Deputy Commander of “Zulfikar” Squad, with having committed crimes against Croats in the Jablanica area. The indictment alleges that Bojadzic shot from a pistol towards a prisoner in the Squad Base, causing the person to fear for his life.

Marinko Dreznjak said that he was held in detention within Rogica Houses Complex in Donja Jablanica, where the “Zulfikar” Squad of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH, was based, during September and October 1993. He said that Bojadzic came one day in the second half of September, took him out of the barn within the Rogica Houses Complex and began questioning him about weapons.

“He fired bullets around me,” Dreznjak said. When asked how he felt, he said: “Awful”.

As he said, prior to that event members of the “Zulfikar” Squad had pointed towards “a compact blonde person”, telling him that he was “Zuka’s Deputy”. He said that this was the man, who fired bullets around him.

The Defence asked the witness to explain why he failed to mention that in his statement given upon his release to liberty in 1994, although he spoke about other things in detail. He responded by saying that he was not examined about those circumstances.

The Defence then read a statement given by the witness in 1995, adding that the witness was asked about Bojadzic, but he only said that he was Deputy Commander.

The trial of Bojadzic is due to continue on February 20.