Dudaković and others: Witness only spoke in 2015 about uncle missing since 1995

(Patria) - The trial of Atif Dudaković, Army of RBiH general, and 15 other members of the Fifth Corps of the Army of RBiH continued at the Court of BiH, and Dušan Stupar, a former member of the RS Army, testified.

In addition to Dudaković, the accused in this case are Ekrem Dedić, Sanel Šabić, Ibrahim Šiljedić, Safet Salihagić, Adis Zjakić, Hasan Ružnić, Redžep Zlojić, Samir Solaković, Fatmir Muratović, Muharem Alešević, Husein Balagić, Edin Domazet, Ejub Konježić, Ibrahim Nadarević, and Said Mujić.

Stupar today spoke about the circumstances of the wartime events in the village of Vođenica, Bosanski Petrovac municipality, and about what happened to his uncle, 81-year-old Rade Stupar.

He could not answer lawyer Ifet Feraget's question as to why he had not spoken to any authorities about the disappearance of his uncle, who was left immobile and deaf-mute in Vođenica in September 1995 when his father and wife left the village and headed towards Sanski Most, before 2015.

He also could not remember when he gave blood for DNA analysis.

He gave his first statement about this, as well as all the events in this village, to members of the RS Ministry of Internal Affairs in 2015, and then in 2017 in Banja Luka. Stupar claims he spoke with a neighbor about his uncle, but that neighbor passed away two years ago. Stupar answered most questions today with "I don't know" and "I don't remember".

What he did confirm is that the residents of Vođenica left the village on September 14, 1995, due to, as he stated, shelling from Lika, and that they retreated towards Sanski Most.

When asked by Asim Crnalić, Dudaković's lawyer, who shelled Bosanski Petrovac, Stupar said it was the Croatian army, but he could not remember if the surrounding villages were shelled. Crnalić listed several names of Serbs who remained in Vođenica, some of whom Stupar knew and some he did not.

At one point, Stupar said that he too was on the Croatian front, and that he met his father and wife in Suvaja, and that besides the residents, RS soldiers were also fleeing.

This witness could not answer one of the accused who asked him if a memorial had been erected in front of the church in this village, 500 meters from his house.

The planned continuation of the trial was July 15, but it was postponed due to the accused Dudaković's pre-arranged medical examinations.

The next hearing will be held on August 26.