Death of 11-year-old Hamza, another investigation 'overseen' by Dupovac

(Patria) - Following the arrest of police officer Hasan Dupovac, former head of traffic investigations in KS, who was ordered one month's detention due to suspicion that he might influence witnesses in the investigation into the concealment of facts in the Memić case, Sead Marevac posted on Facebook. His 11-year-old son died in a traffic accident seven years ago in Stup. In addition to grief, the parents were left with 4,800 KM in court costs, for which they are being held responsible because the child who died was declared 100 percent at fault!

"How could you monster return Hamza's backpack and one shoe to me and hide the truth, telling me that your main problem was Hamza's half-brother Dženan, who was over his brother's body and was rude to you. Now I see what you wanted to tell me, to keep quiet," Sead Marevac wrote in his post, addressing Hasan Dupovac.

He came to the meeting with us with a school backpack on his back. It is the backpack his son carried to school when he was hit by a truck while crossing the road in the Stup settlement. That backpack, which still contains the books, notebooks, and school supplies that Hamza needed that day according to his schedule, is much more than a memory; for Sead Marevac, it is proof that the accident scene report was fabricated to avoid the driver's responsibility.

- My son's blood was on the very edge of the road; he needed one more step to be safe. The expert witness, Ševal Kovačević, claimed that the truck hit the child only when he started crossing the road and pushed him to the other side. If that's the case, why is my son's backpack torn in only one place, how are all the books and notebooks neat, and not even a glass pencil sharpener is broken. How, if such a large truck ran over my child multiple times, Marevac recounts while holding the backpack, a tear escaping his eye. 

The Memić case has stirred memories but also awakened hope that the battle for the truth has not been lost, despite all the lost court cases. For Marevac, there are too many coincidences. Hasan Dupovac, who claimed to have personally ensured that the investigation was conducted as professionally as possible, and the accident expert witness Ševal Kovačević. The duo who brought much suffering to the Memić family as well. Marevac says he later learned that Dupovac and Kovačević were a well-coordinated team.

- At that time, grief and pain prevented me from thinking rationally, but one detail remained with me. While talking to Dupovac, he criticized my stepson Dženan, who had come to the accident scene, claiming he was rude. Other police officers later denied this to me; the child had lost his brother, he was in shock, and my children were raised according to Islam; there is no alcohol, gambling, or other vices. I was in Goražde at the time and arrived at the accident scene after everything was over, Marevac tells us.

His sister arrived earlier. Before the accident, she says she put 10 marks in Hamza's backpack. She was at the scene and, according to Marevac, looked through the backpack to confirm it was his. She saw the money, but it was gone when the police returned the backpack to them.

- You ask me if I tried to find out the truth through other police officers earlier, from those who take pocket money from a murdered child, says Marevac.

Marevac is a disabled war veteran, a fighter who spent the war on Žuč. He had Hamza with a woman who already had two children. They were all a happy family, he claims. The accident brought much pain and worry to everyone. Based on the investigation and expert testimony through court proceedings, the deceased Hamza was declared 100 percent at fault, and Sead is now awaiting a decision on the appeal against the awarded court costs of 4,800 marks.

- That's 100 of my disability benefits, and where is it that a child who died as a pedestrian is to blame for everything. My problem is that I believed in the system; they told me we didn't need a lawyer and that the prosecutor would represent us. The fact that she spoke to me only once and was always in a hurry speaks volumes about how she did it, says Marevac.

The prosecutor was Amina Ruždić. The first-instance verdict was confirmed thereafter.

- Many told me that no one would refute what the police and the expert witness had written. I didn't have the strength then to look at the accident scene photos, and I still don't; it would be like stabbing myself in the heart. Perhaps my mistake was that I didn't have the strength and that I only saw the report later. When I was at the police station, there was a police officer named Begović with Dupovac; he told me we were family and not to worry, and look where I've ended up. I didn't want to incriminate the driver, but it's not normal for him not to receive any punishment, says Marevac.

It's very different now. In the meantime, he says he has learned a lot. People who were afraid to talk are contacting him now, but he doesn't want to reveal details. He was advised to report it where it matters, and in front of us, he called the competent prosecutor in the Dupovac case and left his contact information so they could reach him for a statement.

Marevac is only interested in trying to get to the truth. He is not worried about the court costs; his wife's and his friends had already gathered the necessary amount, but he refused to let them pay. The loss of a child's life is already too high a price.