MOSTAR MOSTAR, March 10 (Hina) - The trial of Muamer Topalovic, accused of killing three members of the Andjelic family on Christmas eve in a village near Konjic, began at the cantonal court in Mostar on Monday.
MOSTAR, March 10 (Hina) - The trial of Muamer Topalovic, accused of
killing three members of the Andjelic family on Christmas eve in a
village near Konjic, began at the cantonal court in Mostar on
Monday. #L#
At the start of the main hearing an indictment was read out which
alleges that on 24 December 2002, Topalovic killed three members of
the Croat family that had returned to the Kostajnica village, and
wounded the fourth member, opening fire from an automatic gun when
he entered their house.
The indictment reads that Topalovic exactly knew that those victims
were of Croat origin and that he committed the crime because of
ethnic hatred.
The indictee confessed to the triple murder but he denied the
indictment's sections about the ethnic motives for his crime.
Explaining the reasons for his act, Topalovic said he wanted to
intimidate that Croat family and draw the attention of the public
to, he said, injustice done to Muslims.
"Muslims are exposed to injustice all over the world. The American
war against terrorism is directed against Muslims. Look at what is
going on in Iraq, Palestine, Bosnia-Herzegovina," Topalovic said.
The main hearing, marked with tightened security measures, will
resume in the course of the day.