Identity of Protected Witness Disclosed

Hazim Hodzic, who had lived with his family in Gracanica village (Prozor Municipality) by 1993 stated that the HVO raided the village and burnt down almost all Bosniak houses.

Following the attack, the witness left to a nearby Tolovac village with his family where they sought shelter in the woods together with other locals. According to him, on that day when the HVO members entered Tolovac, his father was in the burnt down house where he was killed.

“I do not know which house he set on fire. I could not see that. All I know is that in both Gracanica and Tolovac the locals were mistreated by the HVO, particularly by Kinder Platoon members who were always wearing camouflage uniforms and black balaclavas,” Hodzic explained.

Prosecution witness, Numo Kovacevic from the nearby Kranjcici village (Prozor Municipality) also stated that Kinder Platoon raided his family house and plundered them.

“They were asking for money, which is the only thing they asked for. They found some Deutsch marks that we owned, but that was not much. I was arrested then, and my wife recognised one of the soldiers who raided our house to be a Zoran Petrovic who was our daughter’s classmate. We knew that he was with the Kinder Platoon and that is how we were able identified them”, Kovacevic said.

He further testified that on that day he was arrested and taken to Prozor High School Centre from where he was taken to Dretelj prison camp.

“I was detained in the prison camp for almost two months. I am not going to talk about it, but I will say that I weighed 72 kg when I first arrived to the camp and 32 kg upon release,” witness Kovacevic said.

The BiH Prosecution charges Zeljko Jukic, former HVO and Croatian Army (HV) member with participation together with other HVO members in persecution, murders and forcible disappearance of Bosniak civilians in Prozor municipality from July to September 1993.

During the hearing, protected witness A4 was also examined. She testified from a separate room with her voice altered.

The witness said that in Summer 1993 HVO entered Klek village, killing her father and a neighbour.

According to her, women and children were expelled to a house.

“In that house I was raped by six soldiers. I did not know any of them, except that I saw them wearing HVO insignia. I was 17 back then,” A4 testified.

Irena Pehar, defence council for the accused presented the statement taken from the witness after the war, containing her full name. The full courtroom could hear the identity of the protected witness. The Court Panel cautioned the defence council and everyone present in the courtroom that the disclosure of protected witness’s identity constitutes a criminal offence.

Pehar subsequently apologised to the Court Panel.

Testimony from a separate room along with identity protection measures is the highest degree of protection that may be granted in trial.

The next hearing is scheduled for 28 March 2013.