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Kovac: Giving orders

28 August 2008  A witness recalls his stay in the premises of Radnicki University, where he saw the indictee two days prior to being exchanged.

Suad Salkic, who appeared as Prosecution witness at the trial of Ante Kovac, told the Trial Chamber that, during his detention in the premises of Radnicki University in Vitez, he saw the indictee, "giving orders" to military policemen.

Salkic, who was member of wartime Presidency of Vitez municipality, said that members of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, started taking men to Radnicki University building in Vitez as of April 19, 1993.

"Two armed HVO members, who had military police marks on their uniforms, came to pick me up. A minivan transported groups of people to Radnicki University building, in which several hundreds of Bosniaks were held. I stayed in the same room with 28 other people," the witness said.

The Prosecution considers that Ante Kovac, as commander of the Military Police Squad with the HVO Vitez Brigade, with having ordered, approved and participated in unlawful detention of Bosniak civilians in the premises of Radnicki University, cinema hall and Public Accountin Service building in Vitez in the course of 1993. The indictment alleges that detainees were held in inhumane conditions. They were allegedly taken to frontlines in order to perform forced labour every day.

Salkic said that detainees, who were held in Radnicki University building, "were taken to so-called digging of trenches, but they usually would not return". He also said that they used to receive one meal per day, adding that they "had sleeping shifts", as they were too afraid to fall asleep at the same time.

According to Salkic, Sefer Halilovic "managed to reach an agreement, by which all prisoners were released" and allowed to leave Vietz on May 1, 1993.

"I was in a group of 13 distinguished Vitez citizens, who were separated from others. We were then transferred to the chess club premises and then to a prison in Busovaca, where we stayed until May 14, 1993. After that we were told that we would be exchanged. They took us back to the Radnicki University building. This is when I saw Ante Kovac. He was with some other military policemen, who guarded us until the exchange, which took place on May 16. People used to say that he had a commanding function and we also noticed this ourselves during our stay there, because of the way in which he behaved," Salkic said.

Halilovic is a former Bosnian Army general, who was acquitted, by a second instance verdict passed by the Hague Tribunal, of the charges that he committed crimes against Croatian civilians in the course of 1993.

It was originally planned that two more witnesses would be examined at this hearing, but they failed to appear in the courtroom. It was announced that the two witnesses informed the Witness Support Section that they did not want to testify, because they were "concerned about possible difficulties they might face after their testimonies".

The Prosecution said that it had been informed of this earlier, announcing that it would invite them to testify at one of the future hearings.

The trial is due to continue on September 15, 2008.