Mesic Testifies in Own Defense, Describes Night of Alleged Rape in Bihac
This post is also available in: Bosnian
Bekir Mesic and Adil Vojic, both former members of the 501st Brigade of the Fifth Corps of the Bosnian Army, have been charged with raping a woman and forcing another person to rape her on the night of May 1 or 2, 1994 in Bihac.
Mesic told the trial chamber that he was at home with a few of his comrades from the military barracks on May 1, 1994, celebrating International Workers’ Day.
“There were four or five of us. Everyone who testified and this guy called Baja [Ibrahim Hamzic], who got killed later on. We intended to go back to the unit’s base a couple of hours later,” Mesic said. He said they stopped in front of injured party D-1’s house on their way back to the military barracks.
Mesic said Ibrahim Hamzic, nicknamed Baja, asked them to wait for him and his girlfriend, so that they could go and have one more drink together.
“He banged on her door. She said she would go out with him only in the presence of her neighbour Boro…I went to Boro’s. When I returned, I noticed that Baja had broken the door down. Boro entered her house immediately,” Mesic said. He said he stood in front of D-1’s house with his comrades for the next 20 minutes.
“They were quarreling inside. We heard a conversation, noise, screaming…There was also a fight. Baja got mad,” Mesic said.
Mesic said he entered the house with Jasmin Dedic, where with great effort they “dragged Hamzic out of the house.”
Mesic said all of them went to the military barracks together. He said the military police arrested them on the following day. According to Mesic, they were charged with behaving violently and were sentenced with imprisonment. They didn’t serve their sentence, Mesic said, because they were granted amnesty.
“I remember it was said during the trial that there was a medical report indicating the injured party had not been raped,” Mesic said.
Mesic said he and his comrades didn’t consume alcohol while they were at his house.
Mesic said he used to see D-1 after the war, but he did not speak to her.
The trial will continue on December 23, when the defense will present material evidence.
