Protected Witness Describes Arrest and Transport to Gabela Detention Camp

Ivica Cutura, Nikola Zovko, Petar Krndelj and Kreso Rajic have been charged with committing war crimes in the municipality of Capljina. According to the charges, Zovko was the commander of the police station in Capljina, Krndelj was the assistant commander, Rajic was the commander of the military police squad, and Cutura was an active police officer.

Under one of the counts in the indictment, Cutura, Zovko and Krndelj are charged with the unlawful arrest of civilians from the village of Veledarova Mahala and taking those men to the Gabela detention camp.

A protected witness known as A testified at today’s hearing. A said he was in hiding until July 19, 1993, when he surrendered himself to police forces in Veledarova Mahala. He said he turned himself in after his wife told him that individuals who didn’t surrender themselves voluntarily would be “liquidated.”

A said he and about 15-18 other Bosniak civilians from Veledarova Mahala were driven away in a police van.

When asked who arrested them, A said he saw two police officers standing next to the police van. He said one of them was Ivica Cutura, a civil police officer. He said he didn’t know him at the time but the other detainees in the van told him who he was.

“I don’t remember you. I don’t remember you at all,” Cutura said, addressing the witness in the courtroom.

Branko Karadeglic, Cutura’s defense attorney, asked A who decided they would be taken to the Gabela detention camp. A said he didn’t know. Karadeglic said he believed Cutura asked the detainees where they wanted to be taken and they chose the detention camp.

A said no one treated them roughly, ordered or threatened them to enter the police van. He said he was the last person to enter the police van. He said he didn’t know who drove them to the Gabela detention camp.

Suzana Tomanovic, Krndelj’s defense attorney, said A was actually arrested on July 13, 1993, not July 19, 1993.

She presented a list of detainees and stated that A’s name was listed right below that of a person arrested on July 13, 1993. A previously said he had been put on a list of prisoners’ names immediately upon arrival at the Gabela detention camp.

Tomanovic said the names of individuals who were transported to the detention camp with A in the same police van were placed far away from his name on the list.

The trial will continue on January 13, 2016.