Witness Did not Hear about Crimes in Prozor
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Petar Kolakusic, former Chief of Staffs of the Rama Brigade with the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, said that he heard that Croatian Home Guardians were deployed to the school centre in order to guard it.
Responding to questions by Prosecutor Sanja Jukic if he knew that Bosniaks were detained in that building, the witness answered negatively. Also, he said that he had not heard that indictee Zeljko Jukic committed war crimes.
Jukic is charged with having participated, along with other members of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, and Croatian Army, HV, in the persecution of Bosniak civilians, murders and forced disappearances in Prozor from July to September 1993.
Kolakusic said that the relations between Bosniak and Croat soldiers were good at the beginning of the war. Some tensions appeared in mid-October 1992.
“We had a meeting on October 23, 1992. During a break in the meeting we found out that members of the Territorial Defence had attacked our positions. Franjo Zadro was killed on that occassion,” the witness said.
He said that HVO conducted only defensive activities in the period from October 1992 to the end of 1993.
When asked by the Trial Chamber whether he heard of any crimes committed in Prozor, the witness said no.
Nedeljko Jonic, indictee Jukic’s uncle, who testified as the second witness at this hearing, said that the indictee came to Germany in order to work there in the mid-1980s.
“While he was in Germany, Zeljko worked with me most of the time,” Jonic said, adding that he thought that Jukic left Germany in 1992.
The Defence announced that it would give up the examination of its remaining witnesses, announcing that it would present material evidence during the continuation of the trial.
The trial is due to continue on October 17.
