Jukic: Separation of Men

Hamid Kmetas confirmed that members of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO entered Lapsunj village on August 28, 1993 and deported the Bosniak population to Ustirama.

“They gathered all the people, including women, children, the elderly and adult men. They loaded us onto trucks, pulled the awning down and unloaded us in Ustirama,” said the witness, adding that, while the local population was getting on the truck, he saw indictee Jukic, who hit his neighbour Djula with his gun at some point.

The witness explained that, prior to being hit with the gun, Djula asked Jukic to help her load her bag.

Kmetas told the Court that, upon their arrival in Ustirama, HVO soldiers directed them towards a column of people, who were supposed to lead them to the territories controlled by the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH. He said that his wife, daughter and parents were in the column with him.

“I thought that I would be able to get away, but Jukic then came. He was accompanied by another soldier, whom we knew under the nickname of Cele. Jukic grabbed me, cursed my Muslim mother, took me out of the column and returned me to the place, where other adult men were standing. My wife and parents left with the convoy, while I ended up detained in the Secondary School Centre in Prozor,” Kmetas said.

Zeljko Jukic, former HVO member, is charged with having participated in the forcible resettlement of the Bosniak population from Prozor municipality on August 28, 1993.

Witness Kmetas said that, while all the men were standing and waiting to be picked up, Jukic and Cele appeared and invited the men to come to their car.

“They said: ‘Come on, Balijas. Come and see how we killed a wild boar’. When we approached the car, I saw Kerim, our Imam’s son, in the car. Kerim, who was mentally sick, was lying in the car. He was tied,” Kmetas said.
As he said, Jukic and Cele then drove away. Ten minutes later they heard burst fire. Kmetas said that, Kerim was no longer in the car, when they returned. He said that nobody knew what had happened to Kerim and that his remains had still not been found.

Kmetas mentioned that Jukic hit the men, who were brought to the Secondary School Centre in Prozor, and that he forced them to mistreat each other.

“He forced me to beat a 16-year old child. I could not do it, so he beat me up,” Kmetas said, adding that he had known Jukic from before the war, when he was still a child.

Dervo Kmetas, son of witness Hamid Kmetas, testified at the hearing today. At the beginning of August 1993 he was hiding in the woods in Kovacevo polje village, where he was visiting his mother and grandfather. After the local residents had been deported from Kovacevo polje, Hamid surrendered to HVO soldiers in August 1993.

“We were afraid for our security. That is why we were hiding. I was capable of serving the military, but, once the local population had been deported, I decided to surrender,” Dervo Kmetas said. He said he was then detained in the Secondary School Centre.

During the cross-examination he mentioned that he had known Jukic since childhood, adding that they used to play football together. He said that he once saw him in Prozor during the war, adding that he was dressed in camouflage uniform. As he said, he knew that Jukic was a member of the HVO’s Kinder Squad.

The next hearing is due to be held on February 28.