Witnesses Deny O1's Claims: No One Could Enter Zalazje Until Evening, Ilić Was Killed by Tursunović

The trial of Naser Orić and Sabahudin Muhić, accused of alleged crimes in the Srebrenica municipality, continued today before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Patria reports.

Orić's defense today directly examined two witnesses, protected witness O2 and Sabit Halilović. Interestingly, these witnesses refuted a large part of the testimony of the protected witness of the BiH Prosecutor's Office, O1, on whose testimony the indictment was based.

Witness O2 said that before the war he lived in the Bratunac municipality, and that at the beginning of the war he fled to the Srebrenica municipality area, where he stayed until 1995 and where he was the commander of a unit consisting of 100 men, which was in the area of the village of Likar. At the very beginning of his testimony, he was presented with the data of witness O1, for whom O2 confirmed that he was not in his unit.

O2 also confirmed that Alija Muškić and Fikret Mustafić, known as Šiptar, were not in his unit. We remind you that O1 previously claimed that Muškić was his superior, and that at the time of the attack on Zalazje he was in the company of Mustafić and Muškić, which O2 denied with his testimony, adding that he kept proper records in a notebook of the members of his unit.

Furthermore, he said that on July 11, 1992, he received a message from a courier that an attack on Zalazje would be carried out on July 12, 1992, and that his unit was supposed to divert attention to the village of Andrići in order to prevent a counterattack from Sase.

- Due to difficult road communications, we set off before dawn from Likar. We went towards Obad and waited for the shooting to start. At dawn, around eight o'clock, the actions began. We moved towards Andrić. When we arrived, the lines were empty, we withdrew towards Sase. Around 10:30 we returned to Likre. At that moment, I received a notification that they were looking for a rocket-propelled grenade, I gave it to the courier to take it. I set off towards Ozanik hill and arrived at Ozanik at 13:30 – states O2.

O2 pointed out that this was the dominant elevation and that Zalazje was visible like the palm of your hand. O2 confirmed that he also saw the center of the village, i.e., the cemetery.

- The fighting was fierce, especially in the cemetery area. Around 2 p.m., I received information that Orić was wounded and that Edo the machine gunner was wounded. I stayed on the line until 4 p.m. The fighting continued afterwards, but I had to go find someone who knew how to handle a machine gun. Until 4 p.m., none of the ARBiH fighters could enter Zalazje. The terrain was mined with fierce fighting going on – said O2.

Earlier, O1 said that he entered Zalazje around 12 o'clock!?

This witness also confirmed that he did not see or hear that there were any captured members of the VRS.

O2 today also revealed shocking information that at the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016, people from neighboring Serbia came to his front door and offered him to testify against Naser Orić, and in return to write on a piece of paper how much money he wanted.

- At the end of 2015, two jeeps with Belgrade license plates stopped near my house, and two young men, no older than 30, with white headphones in their ears, came to the door. They told me to write on a piece of paper the amount I wanted to testify against Orić. That my family would be evacuated and we would get a new identity. I told them they were mistaken. In January 2016, a blonde woman came and asked if I had changed my mind. I told her the same thing – testifies O2.

Prosecutor Miroslav Janjić was interested in why his unit did not enter Andrići when the lines were free, to which the protected witness replied that his role that day was defensive.

A member of the Trial Chamber, however, wanted to know who commanded and who specifically gave him tasks.

- We received information and orders from a group in Potočari. At that time, there was no headquarters and the groups cooperated. Out of respect, I could listen to Orić, but also turn to another group – added O2.

The second defense witness, Sabit Halilović, was a direct participant in the attack on Zalazje on July 12, 1992, where he was also seriously wounded.

He was a member of Zulfo Tursunović's unit, and he volunteered for the attack on Zalazje, as did his brother.

Halilović said that they arrived in the Zalazje area while it was still night and deployed. He went left with Suljo Hasanović, Tursunović's deputy.

- Zulfo went with 40 fighters towards the stream, i.e., to the right of the center of Zalazje, i.e., the cemetery. We were the first to the cemetery, about 500 meters walk. The action started in the morning. We were targeted by two crossfire machine guns that were shooting at us. From Kosa, we saw the machine guns, one above the cemetery in a house. Around noon, we tried to break through to the cemetery, but we got halfway when the machine gun fire started. We couldn't communicate for an hour. Serbian soldiers were running from house to house, running past the cemetery – said Halilović.

Halilović also said that he saw a truck next to the house where the machine gun was, into which VRS soldiers began to climb and which went towards Sase.

- I followed that truck with my eyes. Until that moment, and it was already twilight, none of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina fighters could enter Zalazje. After that truck, I saw seven or eight soldiers who started running towards the stream, where Zulfo was stationed with 40 fighters. We were told to go towards the cemetery. The first group, in which I was, started and we reached the playground. There was some ammunition there. We decided not to touch it because it might be mined. When I took another step, something flashed, a strong explosion, and I fell. I remained lying, covered in blood. Later, three of our fighters carried me to our truck and it was already dark. That truck was driven by Fahrudin Tursunović – pointed out Halilović.

He said that that truck in the possession of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina could not have entered Zalazje earlier, and that in that truck in which he was transported there were no prisoners, only wounded members of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The next day, according to Halilović's story, Zulfo Tursunović visited him and told him that he had "avenged every one of his wounds".

- They mentioned some judge. Later, in 1995, I found out that it was Slobodan Ilić, whom Zulfo had mentioned to me before, claiming that he had killed him because they were waiting for them in an ambush near the stream. In that exchange of fire, my brother was also wounded – says Halilović.

Halilović had 84 shrapnel wounds when he was wounded, and later when he talked to Zulfo about this topic, Halilović would tell him "maybe someone else killed him, because he was in an ambush", Zulfo would say that "it doesn't matter who it was, I fired two magazines". The indictment directly charges Orić with the murder of Ilić.

Halilović also confirmed that the protected witness of the BiH Prosecutor's Office, O1, was not a member of Zulfo's unit, as O1 claims, and that he met him in 1996 in Vozuća.

- I kept a shop, and they called him a swindler. He stole sheep. I threatened my wife that she must not give him anything on credit. That man was not a member of Zulfo's unit – pointed out Halilović.

The next hearing will be held on December 27, when two new defense witnesses will appear before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.