Hot Gun Pipe in Indictee’s Hands

Bogdanovic, who used to perform the function of Commander of the Second Company with the Fifth Military Police Battalion of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, said that he was informed that shooting took place in a hangar in mid-July 1993.

“I took two military policemen with me and went to the place where the shooting happened. Three military policemen, including Frano Vulic, were standing there. He looked distraught and pale. He was shaking and saying: ‘Move away!’ He pointed his automatic gun towards us. We were aghast, because we did not know what he could do. He was not in a normal condition at all,” Bogdanovic said.

He said that he decided to approach Vulic and try to take his gun away after having realised that the situation might get out of control. “I approached him and pushed the gun pipe to the side. It was still hot, which proves that the gun had been used. I personally disarmed him. He had nothing, but a belt and automatic gun. I told two policemen to escort him to the Company Command,” Bogdanovic said. As he said, he saw that they carried three detainees out of the hangar. They were unconscious.

The indictment charges Vulic, former member of HVO military police in Capljina, with having shot at three Bosniak detainees through a window of Dretelj detention camp hangar and killing them on July 14, 1993. Witness Bogdanovic said that he asked Vulic why he shot at them and that Vulic responded by saying that he thought that detainees would attack him and break down the door, so he fired one bullet. Bogdanovic said that he was not present, when Vulic gave a statement to be included in a report.

“I handed him over to the Crime Section of military police. Its office was over the way of my office. Also, I made an official note about those circumstances, personally read the serial number of the gun, which Frano Vulic had, and took the gun away,” Bogdanovic said.

Considering the fact that Vulic said that he thought that detainees would break the door down and attack him, the Defence wanted to know how policemen could react in case of an extraordinary situation.

“In case of some extraordinary situation, like the one mentioned by Frano Vulic, who said that he thought that detainees would break down the hangar door and attack him, which I doubt, they should have first informed the Squad Command and then shot in the air,” the witness said.

The trial is due to continue on November 5.