Witness Says Andabak Not to Blame for Livno War Crimes

According to the indictment, Andabak allegedly commanded an attack on the village of Grborezi in the municipality of Livno on July 21, 1993. Members of the military police of the Second Light Assault Battalion of the Croatian Defense Council killed one person and wounded another by opening fire at them, in Andabak’s presence.

Members of the Second Light Assault Battalion then allegedly wounded another person, whom Andabak killed by firing a bullet in his head.

The indictment alleges that Andabak then physically abused a civilian, by ordering him to lie down on the ground and jumping on his stomach. Andabak allegedly broke two of the victim’s teeth with a rifle butt.

“I know I’m a witness for the prosecution, but I can’t say there was a conflict. There was a disarmament of Bosniaks,” said witness Jasenko Tufekcic. Tufekcic described the events that took place on July 21, 1993, which he described as “politically charged.”

Tufekcic said he was a member of the wartime government of Livno. He said Bosniaks, Croats, and some Serbs jointly participated in the defense of Livno, although the situation was tense.

“One could feel the tension in the air,” he said.

Tufekcic said that on the day of the attack he was taken to a school building in Orguz, in the municipality of Livno. When asked whether there were any casualties, Tufekcic said he heard two Croats and five Bosniaks had been killed.

Prosecutor Lejla Konjic said she was thinking of examining Tufekcic as a hostile witness, since he hadn’t mentioned the death of members of the Croatian Defense Council during the investigation phase of the case. She decided not to present Tufekcic with statements he had made during the investigation, and completed his examination.

During cross-examination, Tufekcic said detention camps did exist in the area, although they weren’t surrounded by barbed wire. He said Bosniaks were beaten in them and taken to other locations in order to perform forced labour. Tufekcic said he heard from his brother and colleagues that they washed blood off the walls of the Ivan Goran Kovacic school building, a building used for detaining prisoners.

“I witnessed beatings in Orguz. Nobody can say that detention camps didn’t exist,” he said. Tufekcic said he spent seven or eight days in detention camps located in Orguz and a sports hall.

The defense asked Tufekcic about his findings related to the murder of the Velagic brothers in the village of Grborezi, which he had mentioned in an earlier statement. Tufekcic said he’d heard that they’d been killed, but he couldn’t remember who told him about their murder.

Responding to questions by Andabak as to whether he had ever seen or heard of him mistreating or threatening anyone in the Ivan Goran Kovacic school building, Tufekcic said he “ never met anyone who said any bad words about him [Andabak].” Tufekcic added that Andabak was helpful.

“What was done to us was a crime, but Zdenko Andabak is not the person responsible for that,” Tufekcic said. He said “the brigade and politics” were what caused the crimes that were committed against him and others.

The trial will continue on May 20.