State Prosecution Witnesses Describe Murder of Tesanovic Family in Trnovo
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Bunoza, Godinjak and Saric have been charged with participating in a joint criminal enterprise aimed at killing and detaining Serb civilians in the Trnovo area. The indictment alleges that Bunoza was the commander of Croatian Defense Forces units in the area, Godinjak was the chief of police in Trnovo and Saric was the commander of the Territorial Defense in Trnovo.
Milena Vitkovic [maiden name Tesanovic] said she went to Vojvodina from Trnovo in May 1992. She said she found about the murder of members of her family in the summer of 1992. Vitkovic said a child aged a year and a half was also killed. She said her murdered family members were exhumed after the war.
“A pathologist said the child had broken arms and legs,” Vitkovic said.
According to Vitkovic, the Tesanovic family left Ledici and headed towards Kalinovik through Mount Treskavica. Vitkovic said they were killed in the Treskavica area, and one boy managed to survive. She said she didn’t know if the boy recognized any of the murderers.
Rada Cvijetic, Milena Vitkovic’s sister, also testified at today’s hearing.
“We were hoping they managed to get to Kalinovik, but we were told they were killed,” Cvijetic said. She said one boy was wounded, but survived the attack.
She said a doctor from the village of Lukavac in the municipality of Trnovo took care of the boy.
State prosecution witness Emin Berilo said he heard members of the Tesanovic family were killed after one of the female family members had wounded a soldier. Other soldiers then began shooting the Tesanovic family. According to Berilo, one boy survived. He said doctor Mustafa Pintol took care of the boy in the village of Lukavac.
Berilo said Croatian Defense Council members said their commander was named Hakala. He said he found out later on that the commander’s full name was Mirko Bunoza.
“It seems to me that this investigation is going in the wrong direction. I was never the commander of the HOS [Croatian Defense Council],” Bunoza said.
State prosecution witness Mirdal Memic confirmed having seen the boy who survived the attack on the Tesanovic family with doctor Pintol. He said he had no information on the murder of the Tesanovic family.
The trial will continue on September 29.
