Twenty-five video clips at the trial of Central Bosnia’s former BH Army commanders, Enver Hadzihasanovic and Amir Kubura. The defense objects to the admissibility of most of them.


Over the past four days at the trial of Enver Hadzihasanovic and Amir Kubura, former BH Army commanders in Central Bosnia, prosecutors showed some 12 hours of video recordings that they tendered into evidence. Among them was a documentary about mujahedin who came to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992 to fight on the Muslim side.

The prosecution argues that the video evidence corroborates allegations in the indictment charging Hadzihasanovic, the former commander of the 3rd Corps, and Kubura, the former commander of the 7th Muslim brigade, with crimes against non-Bosniaks: the murder of prisoners, detention, beatings and destruction and plunder of property. Among the most serious allegations is murder in the villages of Maljine and Miletici, committed, according to the indictment, by foreign fighters – the mujahedin. This trial should determine whether they fought under the control of the 3rd Corps.

About 25 video recordings were shown, some only a minute or two long, others lasting up to an hour and a half. Apart from the film about the mujahedin (the prosecution refused to make public the source of that film), the recordings showed a parade of the 7th Muslim Brigade, an exchange of an HVO commander for captured mujahedin, scenes of destroyed and plundered houses in Croatian villages and clips from news broadcasts speaking about the presence and activities of mujahedin in Bosnia.

The Trial Chamber will decide whether to admit the video recordings into evidence. Lawyers for the accused objected to most of the tendered material on the grounds that it is not credible or relevant to the allegations. The defense also asked that the evidence be tendered through witnesses who could authenticate the credibility of the information and images shown on the tapes. The defense claims that some of the clips do not even refer to any of the locations listed in the indictment.

After the video evidence, the trial of Hadzihasanovic and Kubura adjourned. It seems set to continue on 21 June. The prosecution plans on calling another dozen witnesses before it rests.

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