Zeljko Rakic in Germany During Kucice Murder, Witnesses Say

Former Bosnian Serb Army soldiers Zeljko Rakic, Ranko Rakic and Marko Stankovic have been charged with war crimes in the village of Kucice in the municipality of Zavidovici. The defendants allegedly killed civilian Zuhra Husanovic in Kucice in late August or early September 1992.||Stojan Ilic, Zeljko Rakic’s son in law, testified at today’s hearing. Ilic told the cantonal court in Zenica he went to Germany with Rakic right after an International Labour Day celebration in May 1992.||“I found him an apartment and a job. He couldn’t leave the province or the country of Germany, because he would have lost his permit. I went to pick up my daughter and grandson later on. They joined him and stayed there until 1997, when they had to leave Germany,” Ilic said.||Defense witness Zlatko Petkovic also testified at today’s hearing. Petkovic said he met Zeljko Rakic at the beginning of May 1992. He said they worked together and socialized while in Germany on a daily basis.||“We worked at the Beksbau company owned by Rade Dizdarevic. All of us were from this area,” Petkovic said.||He said he had a brother in Germany, and this his brother had the same type of permit as the defendant. He said he was absolutely certain Zeljko Rakic couldn’t have left Germany, because he wouldn’t have been able to enter the country again.||The trial will continue on October 7 with testimony from defendant Ranko Rakic.