Andabak Testifies in Own Defense, Carried No Arms During Disarmament Operation

Andabak, a former member of the Croatian Defense Council, has been charged with leading an operation in the village of Grborezi on July 21, 1993. During the operation, members of the Second Light Assault Battalion of the Croatian Defense Council’s military police killed one person and wounded another. According to the charges, members of the battalion wounded another person, whom Andabak killed.

Andabak also allegedly physically abused a civilian, by ordering him to lie down, jumping on his stomach and breaking two of his teeth with a rifle butt.

According to the charges, Andabak was the assistant chief of the Military Police Directorate for the North-Western Herzegovina Operational Zone of the Croatian Defense Council and the commander of the Second Light Assault Battalion of the Croatian Defense Council’s military police.

At today’s hearing, Andabak denied having abused a protected witness known as S-1.

“I’m saying I didn’t do it. I had no objects I could beat witness S-1 with…I didn’t see the beating at all. I didn’t see that anyone mistreated him while I was there,” Andabak said.

He said he saw S-1 and another man between two houses, where “the actions described in the indictment happened” for about ten seconds.

Andabak said that during the disarmament operation in Grborezi, he didn’t have a long or short barrel gun. He said he had a walkie-talkie, a microphone and a hand grip megaphone. He said he was wearing a green uniform with a blue UN beret.

According to Andabak, the killed men were armed with a Kalashnikov, a wooden butt and an automatic rifle. He said he learned their names from a military police officer in the evening.

“As a human being, I want the truth to be determined. I did not commit that crime. If an exhumation was conducted, one would see that the person was shot from a pistol,” Andabak said.

He said that while preparing his defense he wasn’t able to obtain medical information on the injured parties or the crime inspection report, which “has been hidden the whole time.”

During cross-examination, Andabak said he didn’t know why the disarmament operation was conducted. He said he went to Grborezi to inform the local population about the operation and to be present in case of disorder.

The trial will continue on March 16.