Witnesses at Miljevic Trial Describe Attack on Gornji Buldej and Murder of Civilian

Prosecution witnesses testifying at the Marinko Miljevic trial described an attack on the village of Gornji Buldej in the municipality of Kljuc in August 1992, the night of Azema Kucukovic’s murder

Marinko Miljevic, a former member of the Bosnian Serb Army, has been charged with killing Azema Kucukovic with an automatic weapon in August 1992.

Witness Jasna Ramic told the cantonal court of Bihac that about 30 local residents spent the night in an orchard, when the village began to burn.

“Aunt Beba went to the shed. When she came back, she said a man told her we could go back to the house and said nothing would happen to us. However, we were not sure he was telling the truth, so we spent the night outdoors,” Ramic said.

Ramic said at nightfall they returned to the village to see what was left of the burning houses.

“As I entered Raza’s barn in order to make two cows go away, I stumbled across someone’s legs. I looked down. Azema was lying there dead. I was shocked. Azema’s husband said, ‘They killed my Azema.’ At that moment aunt Beba told us Marinko Miljevic was the man who told us to come back to the house the night before,” Ramic said

Witness Fatima Comic, who slept over at the Kucukovic’s home that night, said Azema Kucukovic went to the door when she saw her brother-in-law’s house and her son’s construction material were on fire.

“She shouted, ‘All the [construction] material is burning’…‘There…Somebody let Raza’s cows out, so they’ll set her barn on fire as well.’ She went outside. Her husband told her to come back, but she continued. We heard a male voice telling her to go back inside. Then we heard her saying, ‘Don’t do it brother.’ A burst of gunfire was heard,” Comic said.

She said they found Azema on the staircase in a puddle of blood on the following morning, when the situation calmed down.

“All of us, village residents, gathered and went to Sanica,” Comic said.

Witness Rifet Kucukovic said he recognized the voice of one of the men who entered the basement of his father’s house that night.

“I heard voices. I recognized the voice of Jovan Oklobdzija. When Muhamed’s house started to burn, I saw three men. Those were Jovica, Mika and Marinko,” Kucukovic said.

The defense said that in a statement given during the investigation phase of the case, Kucukovic didn’t mention that one of the men he saw that night was Marinko Miljevic.

“I don’t know why I said they were Milan Vrzina, Milan Radusic and Jovan Oklobdzija. Later on, when I went through my memories again, I remembered they were Marinko, Mika and Jovica,” Kucukovic said.

Raza Kucukovic and Ferida Selman also said they heard Azema Kucukovic was killed in the night, when the houses in the village were set on fire.

The trial will continue on November 11.