Taking Female Detainees out

Testifying at the trial of Nihad Bojadzic, who is charged with crimes in Jablanica, a State Prosecution witness recalls two men taking two female persons out of “The Battle of Neretva” museum on July 28, 1993.

Witness Mato Lebo, who was brought, along with other Croat residents of Doljani village, near Jablanica, to the Museum on July 28, said that one of them was a big blonde man, while the other one was shorter, adding that they were dressed in military uniforms.

According to the charges, Bojadzic, former Deputy Commander of “Zulfikar” Unit of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH, who was accompanied by another soldier, is charged with having taken two female detainees out. They then allegedly raped those detainees.

Witness Lebo was held, along with women and children, in the so-called glass room in the Museum. In the evening hours the two men appeared at the door and took the female detainees out.

At that moment the witness did not know their first and last names. However, as he said, later on he concluded that the big blonde man was Nihad, “Zuka’s Deputy”.

Responding to Defence’s questions, the witness said that he had never been in contact with the person, whose name, as he said, was Nihad. The witness said that he and other detainees were taken to other locations in order to perform forced labour, but he did not see the big blonde man at those places.

The Trial Chamber asked witness Lebo to explain how he associated the big blonde man with the Deputy Commander of “Zulfikar” Unit.

Lebo said that he made the conclusion on the basis of soldiers’ descriptions of the Deputy Commander of “Zulfikar” Unit.

The public was not allowed to attend the examination of the second State Prosecution witness, because the Trial Chamber closed that part of the trial to public.

According to the official schedule of hearings before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the trial of Bojadzic, who is also charged with other crimes in Jablanica, is due to continue on January 23.