Macic: Cause of Injuries

Zeljko Karan, court medicine expert, said that the remains of Milorad Kuljanin were found in courtyard of an Orthodox church in Bradina village, near Konjic in 1998.
 
“A skeleton of an adult person was found. It was determined that it belonged to Milorad Kuljanin. The lower jaw was broken into three fragments. Some smaller parts were missing. I can say, with a high level of certainty, that the multiple fracture of the lower jaw was caused by a bullet,” expert witness Karan said.
 
Given the fact that Kuljanin’s remains lacked some parts of the lower jaw, Karan was not able to say for sure that the injuries were caused by a bullet, so he said that “another explosive device” might have caused it as well.
 
Macic, former member of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina , ABiH is charged with having killed a Serb civilian in Celebici detention camp, Konjic municipality in the first half of June 1992.
 
Expert witness Karan said that, after examining the remains of Scepo Gotovac, who was exhumed in Bjelovcina village, near Konjic in 2000, he determined that his injuries might have been caused by “mechanical effects”, but he left other possibilities open too.
 
“Scepo Gotovac’s collar-bone was broken. Several ribs were fractured too,” expert witness Karan said.
 
The State Prosecution’s indictment alleges that, in mid-June 1992 Macic and other unidentified guards from the Celebici detention camp brutally beat an elderly Serb civilian up. The civilian allegedly died due to injuries caused by that beating.
 
Milko Maric, a ballistic expert, testified for the State Prosecution at this hearing, saying that, after examining the remains of Milorad Kuljanin, he was not able to determine the distance from which the fire arm projectile had been fired.
 
The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina completed the presentation of evidence with the examination of expert witnesses Karan and Maric. Kadrija Kolic, Defence attorney of indictee Macic, said that the Defence would invite 24 witnesses.
 
The first three Defence witnesses are due to be examined on November 10 this year.

A.J.