Defense Witnesses Provide Alibi for Saric

A defense witness testifying at the trial of Sedjad Djerahovic and Jasmin Saric said Saric didn’t participate in the assault of a family in Zenica.

Saric and Djerahovic, former members of the Bosnian Army, have been charged with participating in the physical abuse of Andjelko Bozic and his sons Nedeljko and Veseljko in the village of Bukovica in the municipality of Zenica on June 16, 1992. Andjelko Bozic died as a result of his injuries. His sons were severely wounded.

Defense witness Anto Matkovic told the cantonal court of Zenica that he and Saric were members of the same military unit as of June 1992. He said the unit was located in the left side of a primary school building in Tetovo in the municipality of Zenica.

“We didn’t have uniforms at that time. We were dressed in all sorts of clothes, from civilian clothing to camouflage uniforms. Commander Saric had a camouflage uniform,” Matkovic said.

“On June 16, 1992, Saric was outside the military barracks. I remember the date clearly, because we often recalled how some guys walked around the town in new uniforms, while we were deployed to Mount Sesicka in order to execute an order. I was with Saric on that day. We reconnoitered an area to see where the unit’s base would be set. The unit was deployed to that location on the following day. We stayed there for about fifteen days,” Matkovic said.

Matkovic said he didn’t know if Saric participated in the assault on the Bozic family. He said he didn’t know who the victims were and said he’d never heard that Saric had been involved in any such incidents.

Zijad Kulovic, Saric’s former deputy, also testified in his defense. He said a state of war was declared in the area on June 19, 1992, and that their unit was deployed to Mount Sesicka a few days beforehand.

Kulovic said he wasn’t in the Tetovo headquarters on June 16, 1992, but he’d heard rumours that something happened. He inquired with the duty officer who was at the base. Kulovic said the officer told him that nothing had happened.

Kulovic said he spent a lot of time with Saric, and described him as “a good officer, who insisted on discipline.”

“He isn’t the type of guy who would beat anyone,” Kulovic said.

The trial will continue on September 16.