Gasal et al: Police Protection

At the trial for crimes committed in the Bugojno area, a witness testifying in defence of Senad Dautovic says the police “did not have manpower or materials for its work” in the town, adding the indictee did “all he could to help Croats”.

Nedzad Hozic, former Deputy Commander of the Public Safety Station in Bugojno, told the State Court that police forces became “subordinated to military forces in every sense” in the town at the beginning of 1992, adding that as a result they could not perform their tasks. 
 
“During the course of 1992 and 1993 we wrote criminal reports for the purpose of doing some work, and we sent those to the State and Military Security, which were superior to us.

“The Ministry of Internal Affairs in Bugojno was not able to fulfill its tasks because it lost many staff members and material resources after the Army took over,” the witness said.
 
Hozic said that the conflict between the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, and Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Bugojno broke out in July 1993, adding that Senad Dautovic was appointed Chief of the Public Safety Station in the town “a bit earlier”.
 
The State Prosecution charges Dautovic, Nisvet Gasal, Musajb Kukavica and Enes Handzic with a series of crimes committed against Croats detainees in the Bugojno area in 1993 and 1994.
 
Dautovic, former Chief of the Public Safety Station in Bugojno, and Handzic, former Assistant Commander for Security with the 307th Brigade of ABiH, are charged with having participated in capturing civilians in Bugojno and making plans for the capture.

Gasal and Kukavica are charged with responsibility for the functioning of the Iskra detention camp, where prisoners were held in inhumane conditions.
 
Witness Hozic said that members of the police forces in Bugojno, acting on an order issued by indictee Dautovic, wrote various criminal reports “between July and September 1993”, adding that many of them referred to “crimes committed by ABiH military policemen”. 
 
“Through our operational activities we found out that ABiH members committed crimes like mistreatment, rape, blackmailing, robbery and pillage. This led to a lack of safety in the field, but we did not have the capacity to offer protection,” he said. 
 
Hozic mentioned that Dautovic “did all he could to help Croats in Bugojno”, adding that policemen patrolled Croat settlements in the town in 1993 and 1994 in order to protect the local population.  
 
Pero Barisic, who also testified in defence of Dautovic at this hearing, told the Trial Chamber that ABiH soldiers escorted him to the Cultural and Sports Center in Bugojno in July 1993, adding he was held in the Center for a few days.
 
“Several days later all civilians were released. (…) Following the battles, policemen would patrol Gaj. They were not able to offer full protection to us, because war is war and soldiers are soldiers, but we were protected,” Barisic said. 
 
Barisic said that, as per Dautovic’s request, he worked with the Commission for the Identification of Killed People in Bugojno municipality from July to September 1993. 
 
Asim Balihodzic, another member of the Commission for the Identification of Killed People in Bugojno municipality, testified as the third witness at this hearing. He said that “a number of Bosniaks were killed” during the course of the conflict in the town. 
 
“We only have information about the people whose remains we found. There were many of them. However, many people were found and buried by their families,” said Balihodzic, who testified for the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina in January 2009.
 
The next hearing is due to take place on December 1 this year.

D.Dž.