Kovac: Football partners

A Prosecution witness claims to have seen indictee Ante Kovac in the premises of Radnicki University in Vitez.

“I knew Ante Kovac from before, as he used to play football for a local club. I saw him a couple of times at the premises of Radnicki University. He was dressed in camouflage uniform and he was armed. He had a white belt,” Edib Zlotrg said, adding that he was detained in Radnicki University on April 19, 1993.

The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina charges Ante Kovac, as commander of the Military Police Squad with the Vitez HVO Brigade, with having “ordered and approved” the unlawful detention of Bosniak civilians in the premises of the Radnicki University, chess club and Public Accounting Services in Vitez.

During the course of his testimony before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zlotrg said that he was detained in the basement, together with 200 other persons. He said that some detainees slept on benches, while others had to stand.

“We used to receive food once a day. Military policemen would bring us packages and we would then distribute the food among ourselves,” the witness said, adding that their family members were allowed to bring them food as well.

Zlotrg claims to have been taken to other locations to perform forced labour, adding that some detainees were wounded while performing work.

The witness was released from Radnicki University for one day on April 30, 1993. He said that Kovac had him brought back as soon as May 1.

“The indictee and a policeman came and told me that I was supposed to give some statement. My daughter, who was 8, told him: “Please do not take my daddy away”. They took me with them,” the witness explained.

Zlotrg was transferred from Radnicki University to the premises of the Chess Club.

“Twelve of us were transferred to the Chess Club. The premises were filthy and we had to clean them. We were guarded by a military policeman. Our family members used to bring us food,” the witness said, adding that he was transferred to Kaonik detention camp on June 14, 1993.

The second Prosecution witness Elmedin Gerina said that he played football with the indictee before the war, adding that they were friends.

“While I was detained in Radnicki University, Kovac asked me if I wanted to go home to take a bath. I did that and then I came back again. He used to give me cigarettes,” Gerina said but he could not remember what kind of uniforms the soldiers wore or to which Unit they belonged.

Gerina was detained in Radnicki University on April 16 and he was released on April 30, 1993, when Kovac helped him go to Zenica.

Third Prosecution witness Muhamed Sehaganovic, a former detainee in Radnicki University, was brought to the University building after April 16. During the course of his detention he was once taken somewhere “to fix a car”, while other detainees had to dig trenches. Some were killed while doing that.

Seganovic said that his friend Nino Saric helped him obtain “a license for fixing HVO vehicles”. He did not know what Saric’s function was in the army. He could leave the Radnicki University premises after showing the mentioned licence.

The trial is due to continue on August 21.