Gasal et al: A mother’s wish

Protected witness A, who testified from a separate cabin, said that he “performed military actions”, as a member of the Croatian Home Guard Unit in Bugojno, in 1993, when he was “almost 16 years old”.

“I surrendered, together with all other Croats, on July 23, 1993. I first spent two days in a garage, where they severely beat me up. Then, I spent about two weeks in the Marxist Center, before having finally been transferred to ‘Iskra’ stadium. I stayed there until an exchange in 1994,” the witness recalled.

The Prosecution charges Nisvet Gasal, Musajb Kukavica, Enes Handzic and Senad Dautovic with crimes committed against ethnic Croat civilians, who were held in detention camps and garages in Bugojno, in the course of 1993 and 1994.

Gasal and Kukavica are charged with responsibility for the functioning of “Iskra” detention camp, while Enes Handzic, former assistant commander for security with the 307^th Brigade of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Senad Dautovic, former member of the Joint Staffs of the Bosnian Army in Bugojno, are charged with participation in the detention of civilians in Bugojno and its planning.

Testifying in the courtroom the witness said that, after having surrendered, he was “brutally beaten and mistreated” by a person named Enes Halilovic, who was “a brigade policeman”, adding that he was “very much afraid” of testifying, as he was “beaten up by Halilovic again in 2001 or 2002”.

“I arrived to Iskra detention camp in mid August 1993. They introduced manager Gasal and his assistant Kukavica, who were responsible for everything. A short time later I was transferred to Vakuf to perform forced labour. While I was there, I suffered hell, torture and wounding,” witness A said.

However, during the course of cross-examination the witness told Senad Kreho, Gasal’s attorney, that he was “not absolutely sure” whether he met Gasal and Kukavica prior to his departure to Vakuf or after his return in October 1993.

“When I returned to the stadium, I was beaten up. I looked like a chicken. Later that day they detained us in some room. Gasal came there to see us. He was standing there, smiling. He asked us if we had had a good time. We kept quiet, as we had had a very hard time there,” witness A said.

The witness said that, while he was at the stadium, he witnessed situations when others were “taken out and beaten up”, adding that he considered that “Gasal must have known about it”. He said that he knew that some people tried to talk to Gasal, but he did not listen.

At this hearing, witness Slava Gvozden was also examined. She saw her son Jadranko for the last time in the Slavonija DI furniture shop “a few days after the Croatian forces had surrendered” in Bugojno.

“Two days later I went there to see him but they told me that he was not there. I looked for him everywhere. I went to the stadium detention camp and met chief Gasal and then also Enes Handzic. They just told me that my son was not there. Only later I found out that he was taken to Prusac to perform some work and then he was killed,” witness Gvozden said.

According to her, former detainee Zeljko Milos told her what had happened to her son. Milos told her that he had seen “Jadranko being beaten up and killed.”

“I would like to ask all these people here to say what they know. I would like to find out where my son is. It would bring some relief to me,” the witness said, addressing the Court.

The trial is due to continue on November 12, 2008.