Radic et al: Dragan Sunjic’s witnesses
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Zdravko Sunjic, the first witness for Dragan Sunjic’s Defence at the trial for war crimes in Vojno, near Mostar, said that he and the indictee were members of the Second Company with the Fifth Military Police Battalion of the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) until mid September 1993, when the indictee left the Unit.
Witness Sunjic said that he “never saw any prisoners in Vojno”, explaining that other soldiers told him that there was a prison but he passed by Vojno, together with his Unit members, “in the evening hours only” in order to perform the military police tasks.
The State Prosecution charges Dragan Sunjic, Marko Radic, Damir Brekalo and Mirko Vracevic with the events in Vojno prison, near Mostar, in 1993 and 1994. Bosniak civilians, including women and children, were detained in this prison. The indictment alleges that the prisoners were abused, mistreated, killed, raped and forced to perform hard labour.
According to the indictment Sunjic was deputy commander of Vojno prison from August 1993 to March 1994 and he was member of the First Bijelo polje Battalion of the HVO Brigade.
The witness said that, “until early August 1993, when they were transferred to Rudnik”, indictee Sunjic was with him all the time.
During direct examination, witness Sunjic said that he interacted with the detainees only once and this was when he “guarded 30 detainees in Djubrani” together with indictee Sunjic and a few other members of the Military Police Unit in late July. According to him “the detainees were taken to Bijelo polje the following day.”
“The detainees were given the same food and drinks we had,” the witness said.
Jozo Prga, former member of the Bijelo polje Brigade, testified as the second witness for Dragan Sunjic’s Defence.
“Sunjic and I were members of the same Unit until April 8, 1993, when he joined the Military Police Unit. I used to see him at check-points in Vrapcici and Salakovac, until my arrest on June 30, 1993,” said Prga, claiming that he was captured by members of the Bosnian Army and taken to the fourth elementary school in Mostar.
The trial is due to continue on June 16.
