Veselko Raguz at the Dretelj Gate

First indictee Raguz’s wife Janja Raguz told the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina that, while she was in Gradac, Croatia as a refugee, her then boyfriend Veselko came to pick her up at the beginning of August 1993, so they could go to Stolac in order to make arrangements for their wedding scheduled to take place seven days later.
 
“We had a car accident, so we stopped in front of the Dretelj military barracks gate on our way back in order to speak to car mechanic Miho Vukic. Veselko went to the reception desk, while I stayed in the car,” Raguz said, explaining that she was looking at her husband the whole time from their car.
 
According to her testimony, a person named Vide Palameta, Anto Coko and her neighbour Edin Djulic spoke to them in front of the gate on that occasion.
 
Miho Vukic, car mechanic with a military police unit based in Dretelj military barracks, said that they drove to Stolac together in order to repair the car.
 
Anto Coko, former operational affairs officer with military police in Dretelj, said that he saw Raguz and his current wife in August 1993 and that he congratulated them on their wedding, which was scheduled for seven days later.
 
Coko and Vukic said that this was the only time they saw Veselko Raguz at the military barracks gate, adding that nobody was allowed to enter the complex.
 
Responding to a question by Defence attorney Marko Raguz, the two witnesses said that they had never seen Ivo Raguz in Dretelj.
 
Veselko Raguz, former Commander of the Fourth Battalion with “Knez Domagoj” Brigade of  HVO, is charged with having ordered and participated in the arrest and detention of civilians from Stolac and Capljina during the summer of 1993.
 
He is on trial together with Ivo Raguz, former member of that same Brigade, who is charged with having participated in the abuse of detainees.
 
Fourth witness Ante Kresic denied having ever gone to or been in Dretelj with any of the two indictees.
 
He told the Court that he worked as a driver with military police in Stolac and that he occasionally delivered mail to Dretelj.
 
According to Kresic’s testimony, the County Court in Mostar sentenced him to two and a half years in prison for having beaten Semir Balavac in Dretelj detention camp.
 
“Balavac gave a false testimony against me. He even told me that after the trial. He never mentioned any person named Raguz during my trial,” Kresic said.
 
In October 2012 witness Semir Balavac said that indictee Ivo Raguz was among the men who hit him and physically mistreated him during an examination in a metal hangar in Dretelj detention camp.
 
According to the schedule of trials, the next hearing in this case is due to be held on September 11.