Witness Did Not See the Indictee

Zoran Pazin, a former member of the military police with the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, said that he knew indictee Veselko Raguz, because they were former schoolmates, but he did not see him in Kostana hospital on July 13, 1993. He pointed out that he remembered the date, because some soldiers were killed in the Dubrave area.

“I remember that date, because the situation was alarming. Many of our men were killed. We were told that the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH, broke in and killed them,” the witness said.

He said that the military police was situated in the Kostana hospital premises, but he did not see the first indictee in that building in July and August 1993.

Veselko Raguz, former Commander of the Fourth Battalion with the “Knez Domagoj” Brigade of HVO, is charged with having ordered and participated in the arrest and detention of civilians from Stolac and Capljina during the summer of 1993.

He is on trial along with Ivo Raguz, former member of that same Brigade, who is charged with having participated in the abuse of prisoners.

Pazin said that he remembered that some uniformed individuals brought Senad Setka to Kostana hospital on July 14, 1993. When asked by the Defence whether Veselko Raguz brought Setka to the hospital, the witness answered negatively.

Setka testified for the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 27 this year, when he told the Court that he was captured in the Stolac area in July 1993 and taken to Kostana hospital. During his testimony he did not confirm that he saw Veselko Raguz after having been arrested, but Prosecutor Remzija Smailagic reminded him that he had mentioned the indictee in his previous statement.

Witness Pazin said that he knew about the arrests of people in the Stolac area, but he did not participate in them.
“I know that Bosniaks were taken to Kostana. They were placed into one of the rooms for a short period of time before being transferred elsewhere,” Pazin said.

Prior to the beginning of his testimony the Trial Chamber told the Defence of the first indictee to reduce the list of proposed witnesses submitted to the Chamber in writing.

According to the official schedule of hearings before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, this trial is due to continue on April 10.