Glavas Testifies in Own Defense, Says He Wasn’t in Odzak During Alleged Rapes

Pavo Glavas, Ilija Glavas, Martin Barukcic, and Marijan Brnjic, all former members of the 102nd Brigade of the Croatian Defense Council, have been charged with war crimes in Odzak. According to the indictment, during the summer of 1992 the defendants abducted civilians from various locations and took them to houses and buildings where they raped, assaulted, threatened and humiliated.

Pavo Glavas said he had worked in Switzerland as a seasonal worker since 1986 or 1987. He said he worked with one Swiss transportation company from April 1, 1992 to December, 1992.

“When I left, it seemed like war was going to break out. I had to obtain a certificate confirming I had no military engagements before I could leave Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Glavas said. He said he obtained this certificate from Luka Juric, the president of the crisis committee of Posavska Mahala in the municipality of Odzak.

Glavas said he left Posavska Mahala with Bozo Juric. He said his brother, Ilija Glavas, stayed in his house. Responding to a question from the prosecution, he said it was impossible for Croats to travel through Serb villages, and vice versa.

“I can guarantee with my life that I wasn’t in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina in May, June and the following months,” Glavas said. He said he had made the same statement to prosecutors when he was arrested.

Glavas said he returned to Posavska Mahala following the end of the war.

“I think the only reason for my presence here is because somebody has brought me here instead of him [the perpetrator],” Glavas said.

Glavas presented his passport, which contained his Swiss work visa. The visa was valid from April 1, 1992 until December 12, 1992. The passport also included stamps indicating when he entered and left Switzerland.

Glavas said he couldn’t leave the country during the duration of his work visa. He said he didn’t take annual leave while working in Switzerland, but chose to work on those days instead.

A timesheet and salary slip for the month of June were included in the case file as evidence, along with an insurance policy for seasonal workers covering the duration of Glavas’ work visa. The defense proposed that a former colleague of Glavas be examined via video link, but the chamber rejected the proposal.

Prosecutor Miroslav Janjic said the prosecution would invite an employee of Pavo Glavas to testify in order to verify the authenticity of the documents presented.

Pero Ilic, a former member of the Territorial Defense of Posavska Mahala, also testified at today’s hearing in Marijan Brnjic’s defense. He said he became a member of the Territorial Defense when the war started.

“We held the lines between Posavska Mahala and Novi Grad. Our commander was Jozo Pudic. That was the first squad, which was code named ‘Karolina.’ Marijan Brnjic was with me,” Ilic said.

He said he hadn’t seen Brnjic until after the capitulation of Novi Grad on May 8, 1992, because he had gone to Germany to visit his family.

The trial will continue on September 22. At the next hearing, the defense teams of Barukcic and Ilija Glavas will finish presenting their evidence and the prosecution will begin presenting additional evidence.