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The witnesses said that they did not participate in the arrest of Suad Boskailo in Dolovi village, which was about 20 kilometres away from their zone of responsibility, adding that they were willing to face him.
As indicated by the witnesses, the zone of responsibility of the Fourth Battalion of “Knez Domagoj” Brigade with the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, covered an area from Osanjici to Komanje brdo, Stolac municipality. They said that they were on full combat readiness following an attack by the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Dubrave plateau on July 13, 1993.
“The full combat readiness lasted between 15 and 20 days. This meant that we kept our military lines and did not go anywhere,” witness Marinko Rajic said.
Witness Zdenko Goluza said that the Second and Fifth Battalion too were present in the Stolac area.
He denied Prosecutor Remzija Smailagic’s allegations about zones of responsibilities of certain units, saying that they were incorrect. Also, he denied the allegation that the Fourth and Fifth Battalion merged at a certain stage.
Veselko Raguz is charged, along with Ivo Raguz, former member of the Fourth Battalion, with having participated in the unlawful arrest and detention of civilians in July and August 1993.
Witness Ilija Sutalo told the Court that, on July 15 he left the military positions arbitrarily and went to Dolovi village in order to check how his parents were doing, because he heard that the ABiH had come to the village.
“A group of soldiers stopped me and asked me where I was going. I said I was on my way to check whether my parents were alive. One of the soldiers told me that Boskailo, whom they had captured, asked them about me. I saw him in front of a garage. He was dressed in camouflage uniform. The soldiers told me that they had also had a small-calibre gun,” Sutalo said.
He said that he “did not want to interfere” and that he did not know what happened to the captive, who was his childhood friend.
“We were like brothers, but he just deserted our Battalion and joined the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina one day,” the witness said, explaining why he was not interested in his friend’s destiny.
Sutalo said that the soldiers who had arrested Boskailo, were not known to him and that he did not know in whose zone of responsibility Dolovi village was.
The trial of Veselko and Ivo Raguz is due to continue on July 10 this year.
