Duka on Battlefield During Alleged Crimes, Defense Witnesses Say

Duka, Goran Vujovic and Zeljko Ilic have been charged with abusing Bosniak and Croat civilians in Bileca from June until the end of December 1992. According to the charges, Vujovic was the chief of the public safety station in Bileca, Duka was the commander of the station, while Ilic was a policeman.

Three witnesses testified at today’s hearing in Duka’s defense, claiming that the defendant was on battlefields in the village of Ravnice in the municipality of Stolac and in Mostar during his alleged crimes.

Obrad Vuckovic, the former commander of the Bilecka Brigade with the Bosnian Serb Army, was the first witness to testify. Vuckovic said reserve police forces from Bileca, commanded by Duka, came to the village of Ravnice between May 20 and 22, 1992, in order to help hold the lines.

He said Duka’s unit was deployed to the battlefield of Mostar a day or two later, and stayed there for about a month before being redeployed to Ravnice in order to hold the lines until December 1992.

Vuckovic said he was in contact with Duka, just like he was with commanders of other units. He said he visited units at their positions every two or three days.

He said Duka was in the field all the time, but he couldn’t confirm that he had never left his positions.

“He might have left for a day as per my deputy’s permission, but he couldn’t have been absent for five days,” Vuckovic said.

Branko Andjelic, the former chief of an operational body of the Bilecka Brigade of the Bosnian Serb Army, also confirmed that Duka was on battlefields in Stolac and Mostar throughout 1992.

Andjelic said he spoke to Duka over the phone on several occasions during his stay on the Mostar battlefield. He said he used to see him on the frontline in the village of Ravnice very often.

“He might have been absent for a day or two in one month. As far as I’m concerned, I didn’t go home for three months in a row,” Andjelic said.

According to Andjelic, none of the Bosniak villages in the Bilecka Brigade’s zone of responsibility was set on fire. He also said no Bosniaks were killed or abused in those villages, and that no incidents occurred in the Bosniak village of Ravnice.

“They used to get help from the Red Cross. They had almost neighbourly relations,” Andjelic said.

Pavle Popadic, a reserve policeman who used to replace Duka when he wasn’t on the battlefield, said he didn’t replace him during their one-month stay at the Mostar battlefield. He said he replaced him on the Vrsnik-Ravnice battlefield.

“He would go home for a day or two every 15 days. When he was away, I would assume the commanding position in the company and vice versa. I was away more often than him,” Popadic said.

The trial will continue on February 8.