Defense Witnesses Describe Maric’s Wartime Duties

Josip Maric, the former chief of police and deputy chief of the Security-Information Service of the Croatian Defense Council in Kiseljak, has been charged with beating prisoners of war and civilians in Kiseljak in the summer of 1993.Velimir Milicevic, the former chief of police in Kiseljak, testified at the trial. He said he knew Maric and that he’d been recruited by him to serve in the reserve police forces, even though he had already retired. He said Maric wanted to organize a police station in Gromiljak.Milicevic said Maric stayed in Gromiljak until the second half of 1993. Afterwards he left to Kresevo, where Milicevic described the situation as “totally chaotic.”During cross-examination, Milicevic said Maric was at a checkpoint in the village of Lug between Fojnica and Kiseljak in August or September 1993. He said Maric went to Kresevo a day after the conflict escalated in order to consolidate the local police force.Mario Bradara, the former deputy commander of the Croatian Defense Council in Kiseljak, also testified at this hearing. He said Maric was a member of the Security-Information Service at the beginning of the war, and said they met later on when clashes between the Bosnian Army and the Croatian Defense Council in Kresevo escalated.During cross-examination, prosecutor Sanja Hodzic asked Bradara to explain whether Maric was a retired policeman or the head of the Security-Information Service of the Croatian Defense Council.“He was the chief of the Security-Information Service in 1992. A replacement took his place in 1993. I think he was replaced at that time,” Bradara said.Retired policeman Vlado Komsic, who was the deputy commander of police in Kresevo during the war, also testified at this hearing. He said Maric arrived in Kresevo on June 14, 1994. He said they worked together at the checkpoint in order to calm the local population, which had begun leaving the area. According to Komsic, they were dressed in camouflage uniforms and were armed with pistols and automatic rifles. He said the police owned three vehicles at the time, two blue and white VW Golf 2’s and one red VW Golf 2.Policemen Boro Medic and Mato Maric said Josip Maric arrived in Kresevo on June 14, 1993, but went on leave to Kiseljak. They confirmed that the Kiseljak police had three VW Golf 2 vehicles and were each assigned a pistol and automatic rifle.The trial will continue tomorrow, on May 20.