Separated During Dusina Operation

Witness Abdulah Colakovic said that he was a member of the “Gerila” Unit with the Seventh Muslim Brigade of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH, in January 1993. He said that he remembered indictee Vehid Subotic.

“He was distinct. As far as I heard from others, he came from the JNA. He had many scars caused by shrapnel pieces on his face,” Colakovic said.

The witness said that he participated in an operation in Dusina, which “was spontaneous and conducted without preparations”.

When asked by Trial Chamber member Mira Smajlovic if the indictee set off for the operation, the witness said that Subotic set off with them, but he did not see him afterwards.

“We walked in pairs. We separated at a certain point,” Colakovic said.

He said that five or seven people surrendered, so their mission was completed.

“We had nothing to do with civilians. We were told that our task was done and that we could go. I heard that some Croats were killed, but this sounded strange, considering the Codex of the Seventh Muslim Brigade. Had a member of that Unit done it, he would have been processed. This Brigade defended BiH and did not commit crimes,” the witness said.  

The indictment charges Vehid Subotic, known as Geler, former member of the Second Battalion with the Seventh Muslim Brigade of ABiH, with having intruded Dusina village together with other members of his Battalion on January 26, 1993, separated eight Croats and escorted them to a house, where he ordered soldiers to kill them.

Subotic is on trial for having committed murders of several other Croats in Dusina.

Witness Zihret Avdic, who too was a member of the “Gerila” Unit with the Seventh Muslim Brigade of ABiH, said that he participated in the attack on Dusina and that its military target was to conquer a relay on Kula Hill in the vicinity of the village.

He said that he knew the indictee but he did not see him during the operation on that day.

“When the operation was finished, Commander Serif Patkovic said that the relay was taken and that we could withdraw,” the witness said.

Witness Mirnes Karamuja, who used to live in Dusina village, said that he went to the village after the attack.

“When the attack was finished, I went there out of curiosity, as I wanted to see what had happened. I saw dead people. Somebody ordered me to stand next to Ivica Kegelj’s house, while Ivica Kegelj and another man were taking corpses into a garage,” said Karamuja.

He said that he found out, from rumours, who had killed those men.  

When asked by Trial Chamber Chairman Zoran Bozic who, according to those rumours, had done it, the witness said that he heard that Geler had done it.

The trial is due to continue on July 4.