New Medical Examination for Zulfikar Alispago

During a status conference, Alispago’s defense attorney Ragib Hadzic said his client would soon be undergoing surgery again, because his first operation wasn’t successful. He said the defendant, who had lost 35 kilograms, was currently considering which clinic would perform the new surgery.

“My digestion isn’t functioning,” Alispago said. He said a part of his esophagus had been removed.

Alispago has been charged with war crimes in the village of Trusina along with five other members of the Bosnian Army: Mensur Memic, Dzevad Salcin, Senad Hakalovic, Nedzad Hodzic and Nihad Bojadzic. Alispago’s case was separated in March 2014 due to his poor health.

Alispago, the former commander of the Zulfikar Unit of the Bosnian Army, has been charged with failing to undertake necessary and reasonable measures to punish his subordinates, the perpetrators of the Trusina attack.

Mensur Memic, Nedzad Hodzic and Nihad Bojadzic, all former members of the Zulfikar Special Purposes Squad, were sentenced to 37 years in prison for the murder of Croat civilians and captured soldiers in Trusina. Salcin, a former member of the same squad, and Hakalovic, a former member of the Neretvica Brigade, have been acquitted.

At today’s status conference, trial chamber chair Zeljka Marenic said Alispago’s new medical examination would be performed on the basis of all past medical findings by a doctor selected by the state court. Defense attorney Hadzic said no doctor in the country was competent enough to assess Alispago’s health. He said he would provide the court with the opinion of a doctor from abroad.

Marenic said court medical experts had determined last year that the defendant was able to attend the trial twice a day for two hours with breaks.

The next status conference has been scheduled for October 12.