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Witness Mile Pazin told the Court that civilians came to the “Branko Sotra” school building and Kaplan and Djulica Mahala villages in July 1993, because they were afraid of revenge caused by previous conflict. As he said, the civilians were “guarded by members of the Home Guard Company”.
Pazin, who worked with the Civil Protection Unit at the time, said that he did not receive any orders from Veselko Raguz or the Fourth Battalion with a Croatian Defence Council, HVO, brigade in that period.
“Neither Veselko nor members of his Brigade visited those villages. Kaplan and Djulica Mahala were not in the zone of responsibility of the Fourth Battalion,” Pazin said.
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 Brigade, who is charged with having participated in the abuse of detainees.
Second witness Zdenko Beno, former member of the Independent Voluntary Company, said that he did not see Veselko Raguz in the school building and Kaplan and Djulica Mahala in July 1993.
“People stayed in the school until July 19 when they were transferred to Kaplan and Djulica Mahala. Later on they went towards Blagaj,” Beno said.
Witness Vide Kresic, former member of the Fourth Battalion, said that, in mid-July 1993 he met two members of the Civil Protection Unit, who were accompanied by a group of uniformed people, who had surrendered.
“Those men were calm. They handed three rifles over to us. They surrendered voluntarily,” Kresic said.
Last witness Ivica Markovic said that he was with Vide Kresic when they met uniformed Muslims, who surrendered. Markovic said that he did not know what happened to those men afterwards.
The trial is due to continue on July 17.
