Bosniak Soldier Demands Trusina Killings Acquittal

The defence lawyer for Edin Dzeko, a former member of the Bosnian Army’s Zulfikar Squad, said he was not guilty of executing six Croats in Trusina in 1993.

“Our defendant Edin Dzeko did not commit any of the crimes in the indictment,” defence lawyer Edina Residovic told the Sarajevo court in her closing arguments on Tuesday.

Rasidovic said that evidence during the trial had shown that Dzeko was not in the hamlet of Gaj near Trusina, where the six Croats were killed on April 16, 1993.

Former Bosnian Army soldier Dzeko is charged with shooting three members of the Croatian Defence Council and three civilians.

The defence lawyer said it had been proved that Dzeko only drive two of his fellow soldiers from Trusina to seek medical treatment and did not return afterwards.

“Evidence shows that Dzeko drove a vehicle which was used for taking the wounded to an ambulance in the village of Gostovici,” said Residovic.

She said that the execution in Gaj happened 15 to 30 minutes after the two members of the Zulfikar Squad were wounded.

Dzeko is also charged with killing an elderly couple, Ilija and Andja Ivankovic, during the violence in Trusina, but Residovic said he was not near the place where they were murdered and denied claims by two prosecution witnesses that he shot at them.

“Your honour, Dzeko did not participate in the killings of Ilija and Andja Ivankovic,” she told the judge.

The defence will continue presenting its closing arguments on May 6.