Witnesses fail to identify Albanian war crimes suspect

Two Serb witnesses did not identify ex-KLA member Sinan Morina, at his war crimes trial in Belgrade. Milutin Burdzic and Dusanka Bozanic from the village of Opterusa failed to identify him as one of the participants in crimes committed against Serb civilians from the Orahovac municipality in Kosovo in 1998. Witnesses fail to identify Albanian war crimes suspect War Crimes Court Judge Olivera Andjelkovic read out a statement given by Burzic, who was held captive by members of the Kosovo Liberation Army’s (KLA) Orahovac Group. Burdzic did not take the stand in person owing to ill health, but in his statement made during the investigation he said that the accused had not been among those Albanians who had held him and eight other men and women from Opterusa prisoner for several days. “I recognize the young lad who asked me for my gun, but I don’t know his name,” he said, adding that he had never heard of anyone called Sinan Morina. Nor did Dusanka Bozanic, one of the eight females evicted from her house and imprisoned, identify Morina, who together with 34 other Orahovac Group members are accused of attacking 10 Serb homes in Opterusa, persecution and imprisonment of civilians, and setting fire to and destroying religious buildings. “Shots were being fired that night of July 17/18 until 6 a.m., until we surrendered. I saw Sedat who was a friend of my husband’s, Yupa, Ajiya, Alia,” she said, adding that she did not recognize Morina. Bozanic, whose husband Bozidar and son Novica were killed and whose bodies were discovered in a ditch in Volujak in 2005, said that the men who had been in the cellar of a house in a neighboring village had been beaten, and that their moans could be heard. She could not corroborate the testimony of Slavica Banzic yesterday, who told the court that Morina had beaten her, taken her police jacket and 500 German marks. “They didn’t assault a single woman, and I don’t recognize him,” said the witness, adding that neither had she seen the houses or churches being set fire to. Her daughter-in-law, Vesna Bozanic, who was clearly upset, did not wish to talk about the circumstances under which she had lost her husband Novica, although the Council and Deputy Prosecutor Miroljub Vitorovic insisted that she tell the court her reasons for not wishing to do so. “I was in Kraljevo… my mother-in-law told me that he (Novica) had gone. She’s told you everything… it’s hard for me to speak,” she said. Morina pleaded not guilty to the charges at the start of the hearing.

Witnesses fail to identify Albanian war crimes suspect

War Crimes Court Judge Olivera Anđelković read out a statement given by Buržić, who was held captive by members of the Kosovo Liberation Army’s (KLA) Orahovac Group.

Burdžić did not take the stand in person owing to ill health, but in his statement made during the investigation he said that the accused had not been among those Albanians who had held him and eight other men and women from Opteruša prisoner for several days.

“I recognize the young lad who asked me for my gun, but I don’t know his name,” he said, adding that he had never heard of anyone called Sinan Morina.

Nor did Dušanka Božanić, one of the eight females evicted from her house and imprisoned, identify Morina, who together with 34 other Orahovac Group members are accused of attacking 10 Serb homes in Opteruša, persecution and imprisonment of civilians, and setting fire to and destroying religious buildings.

“Shots were being fired that night of July 17/18 until 6 a.m., until we surrendered. I saw Sedat who was a friend of my husband’s, Yupa, Ajiya, Alia,” she said, adding that she did not recognize Morina.

Božanić, whose husband Božidar and son Novica were killed and whose bodies were discovered in a ditch in Volujak in 2005, said that the men who had been in the cellar of a house in a neighboring village had been beaten, and that their moans could be heard.

She could not corroborate the testimony of Slavica Banzić yesterday, who told the court that Morina had beaten her, taken her police jacket and 500 German marks.

“They didn’t assault a single woman, and I don’t recognize him,” said the witness, adding that neither had she seen the houses or churches being set fire to.

Her daughter-in-law, Vesna Božanić, who was clearly upset, did not wish to talk about the circumstances under which she had lost her husband Novica, although the Council and Deputy Prosecutor Miroljub Vitorović insisted that she tell the court her reasons for not wishing to do so.

“I was in Kraljevo… my mother-in-law told me that he (Novica) had gone. She’s told you everything… it’s hard for me to speak,” she said.

Morina pleaded not guilty to the charges at the start of the hearing.