New evidence about the crimes of B-H Army and "bearded foreigners" at the trial of former BH Army commanders in Central Bosnia


After the testimony of three prosecution witnesses on Monday and Tuesday, the trial of Enver Hadzihasanovic and Amir Kubura was adjourned today. It should continue tomorrow, with new prosecution witnesses.

Witnesses who testified this week spoke about three different incidents in the indictment against the former commanders of the 3rd Corps and the 7th Muslim Brigade of the BH Army. After the testimony of Ivica Kegelj about the murders in Dusina, Jozo Erenda testified about the destruction of the Croat houses in the village of Cuklje near Travnik, after the BH Army took control of the village in June 1993. When the prosecutor asked him to clarify who was firing shots in the village and burned houses as the Croat population was withdrawing and after they had left, Erenda was unable to specify the unit or to identify individual soldiers. "There were many of them, they were shouting Allahu Ekber and Tekbir. At any rate, these were Muslim troops...and the Croat houses were on fire.”

The next witness, a former detainee in the Music School in Zenica, was called in to tell the Trial Chamber who were the soldiers who ran the prison in the Music school where the BH Army detainees were beaten severely. In the office where he was abused, "all of them had beards, and only the one beating me spoke our language," said the witness Alija Podrug. “They were all Muslims, but I don't know from which part of the world. They had the insignia of the 7th Muslim Brigade and of the BH Army and green bands with Arabic writing around their heads.”

Since the indictment pertains to the crimes committed by the BH Army against the non-Bosniak population, and because the witness is a Bosniak, the Trial Chamber – at the request of the defence – restricted his testimony to general information and no evidence about the abuse the witness himself suffered and the reasons why was heard.

Sharing