Zulfikar Ališpago trial restarts for Trusina war crimes

The trial of Zulfikar Ališpago for war crimes committed in the village of Trusina has restarted before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ališpago, a former commander of the ‘Zulfikar’ Special Unit of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is accused of failing to punish subordinates who murdered civilians and members of the Croat Defence Council after they had surrendered on April 16, 1993.

Prosecutor Ljubo Badnjar stated that the prosecution intends to prove Ališpago maintained real control over the unit and was aware of the crimes. The defense, led by lawyer Sanin Pešto, argued that the charges are unfounded, the evidence is inadmissible, and the applicable law does not fit the described events.

Presiding Judge Željka Marenić ruled that transcripts from previous proceedings involving 37 witnesses would be included in the case file. Additionally, the court rejected a request from Ališpago and his counsel for a new expert evaluation regarding his fitness to stand trial, noting that such evaluations have been conducted multiple times since 2014.