Ibrahimovic Above Military Police Command, Witness Says

Defendants Zdenko Andabak, Muamir Jasarevic and Sead Velagic are on trial for the detention, torture and murder of Serb civilians in the Ivan Goran Kovacic school building in 1992. The indictment against them contains 29 counts.

According to the charges, Andabak was the commander of the military police with the Croatian Defense Council (HVO) for the North-Western Herzegovina operational zone, Jasarevic was his deputy and Velagic was a member of the crime service of the Croatian Defense Council military police.

Anto Anic, a member of the military police of the Croatian Defense Council as of May 1992, testified at today’s hearing. Anic said defendant Zdenko Andabak was the commander, while Jasarevic and “other guys from Zagreb” were his assistants.

Responding to a question from Zdenko Andabak, he confirmed they were already in the Ivan Goran Kovacic school building when he arrived, but were members of the Interventions Squad under the command of Milan Juranic.

Anic said he was ordered to man the school doorman’s booth. He said both Bosniak and Croat Croatian Defense Council deserters were detained in the school over the summer.

“Following the frequent shelling of Livno, which we considered guided, a large group of Serbs arrived in the school gym. I would say there were roughly one hundred of them. Some were uniformed, others weren’t,” Anic said. He said he personally visited a couple apartments to tell people to go to the school for informative interviews.

Anic said Serbs came to report to him, based on a list available in the doorman’s booth. He wasn’t able to confirm exactly when this happened. He also said none of the detainees could leave the school arbitrarily.

Anic said the military police had a crime service and that Muhamed Ibrahimovic was its leader. He said Damir Miskovic and a man named Garic were its members, among other individuals.

“Ibrahimovic formed the crime service. My subjective impression was that he was above the military police commandership,” Anic said, adding that he had no significant knowledge of military structures.

Responding to a question by Andabak, Anic said Ibrahimovic supervised the detainees in the school. He said he didn’t receive orders from Andabak, but from his squad commander.

As far as Jasarevic is concerned, Anic said he accompanied them on a field mission in Jablanica. He said he was unsure about when the field mission took place.

The cross-examination of witness and former fighter Damir Miskovic continued at today’s hearing. Miskovic said he didn’t know why people were detained or released from the school building in Livno. He said he had no information on individual roles within the military police.

He said he participated in weapon searches as a military policeman. He said he received orders from his command, but didn’t personally contact Zdenko Andabak.

He said he didn’t see any written orders either.

Miskovic said he was in the field in Bugojno for almost the entire month of June. He said both Jasarevic and Sead Velagic went to the field with him.

He said he went to Ljubuski to undergo training in mid-August. He said he stayed there until mid-September and that Sead Velagic went with him.

The trial will continue on March 30.