Local Justice – Mostar: Honest and Good Man

Witness Slaven Milanovic, former Assistant Commander of the Security and Information Service, SIS in Stolac and member of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, said that he took care of the safety of soldiers, while they were on frontlines. As he said, he knew indictee Raguz from meetings at which they exchanged information about the happenings that took place in their zones of responsibility.“I was in the same room with Miroslav Raguz. I was writing something down, when I heard some noise and a person yelling: “Leave it. Leave the rifle’. I do not even know whose rifle it was. I turned around and saw two military policemen escorting a man, whose name, as I found out later, was Serif Selimic. They tried to take the rifle, which had been left next to the door, away from him. I do not know how the rifle got there at all,” Milanovic said.The witness said that the indictee tried to calm the situation down and told the military policemen to take them man away so he could rest. Milanovic does not know what happened to the man after that.Adis Nuspahic, Prosecutor with the Cantonal Prosecution in Mostar, asked the witness if he saw anybody hitting that man. The witness answered negatively, adding that he had some blood on his body and that he was wiping it off using his shirt.“I saw some blood on Serif’s body. He and the military policemen pushed each other,” the witness said.As he said, the prisoners, who were held in Kostana hospital, were under the responsibility of military police. As far as he knows, they brought members of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina only to “the examination room”.According to the charges, Raguz, former Assistant Commander of SIS of HVO in Stolac, participated in the physical abuse and causing of bodily injuries and suffering of Bosniak civilians, who were held in Kostana hospital from the beginning of August to the end of October 1993.Witness Pero Maric, former member of HVO, confirmed that he knew Edin Baljic, former detainee in Kostana hostpital, who testified at this trial in late January this year.“Edin was a driver with HVO from the summer of 1992 to the beginning of July 1993, I think. His task was to drive soldiers to front lines. At the beginning of July 1993 Baljic was supposed to bring soldiers to Osanici, but he did not come. I reported it to the military command immediately. I know that he was arrested in Sladojevici some time in September or October,” Maric said.When asked by the Defence if he knew indictee Raguz, Maric answered affirmatively, adding that he was an honest and good man and that he had not heard about him mistreating anybody.The Prosecutor asked the witness if he was present when the indictee examined prisoners in Kostana hospital, but the witness said he did not.Defence witness Ante Raguz said that, in late September 1993 “infiltrated groups” of members of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina opened fire at ambulances or vehicles, transporting food.“We sent out scouts to find them. They managed to do it. They captured 15 Bosniak soldiers, but they did not mistreat them at all. They had guns with them. Two or three rifles, I think,” Ante Raguz said.Speaking about the indictee, the witness said that he respected him very much, adding that he had not heard about anybody being mistreated by the indictee.When asked by the Prosecutor if he was ever present when the indictee examined people, the witness answered negatively.The trial is due to continue on March 2. S.G.