Witnesses Say They Never Heard of Rape Allegations Against Dulic

A defense witness testifying at the trial of former Bosnian Army fighter Dzevad Dulic said there was another man named Dzevad Dulic in their brigade, and that he’d never heard about incidents of rape or abuse in Beganovici.

Dzevad Dulic has been charged with the rape of a woman from Cazin in the village of Beganovici in December 1995.
 
Esad Abdihodzic, a former member of the 510 Brigade of the Bosnian Army, testifed at this hearing He said that he went with his unit to Beganovici in December 1995. He said he had “good cooperation with the civilians and that they felt welcome.”
 
Abdihodzic said he didn’t hear about incidents of rape or abuse in the village.
 
Abdihodzic said he was shocked when he heard that Dulic had been charged with rape, since he believed that he was as a good man, who “could have chosen any woman he wanted.”
 
According to Abdihodzic, Dulic came to the 510 Brigade in January 1994, but wasn’t in his unit.
 
Abdihodzic showed the trial chamber a notebook in which he had written down the names of the men in his unit. He said someone named Dzevad Dulic was a member of the unit, but based on his father’s name, which was also written in the notebook, he concluded that it wasn’t the defendant but another soldier with the same name.

The Bosnian prosecution said they hadn’t seen the notebook. The defense said they would wait until the prosecution had reviewed it before introducing it as evidence.  
 
Amir Avdic, a former commander of the 510 Brigade of the Bosnian Army, also testified at this hearing. He said he joined the brigade in 1994.
 
He said there were several people known as Dzevad Dulic in the area, and that he’d never heard that the defendant had raped anyone.
 
“We would have prosecuted him,” Avdic said.
 
When asked by the state prosecution whether he knew that there was an ongoing war crimes investigation against him, Avdic said he didn’t know.
 
The trial will resume on May 8, when Dulic will testify in his own defense.