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Branko Radenkovic, testifying at the trial of Nusret Guso and Mirsad Suljagic, former members of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH, said that he was captured on August 3, 1994, and detained in a house in Maoca village, where he was held for four months.
They questioned us every day for two weeks. After that, the questioning took place every other day. In most cases I was examined by Mirsad Suljagic, Nusret Guso and one other person. During the course of those examinations Suljagic and Guso used to hit me with police batons, fists and feet, Radenkovic said.
The witness said that he was so severely beaten on one occasion that he lost consciousness. They then extinguished a cigarette on my arm.
Nusret Guso and Mirsad Suljagic are charged with having participated in the examination, humiliation and physical abuse of prisoner of war Branko Radenkovic in Maoca village on several occasions in August 1994.
The Brcko District Prosecution considers that Guso and Suljagic figured prominently in abusing and questioning the injured party, whom they beat with police batons, hands and feet. The indictment further alleges that Radenkovic was transferred from the detention facility to the District Military Prison in Tuzla at the beginning of December 1994.
The Prosecution alleges that Guso was Assistant Commander for Morale with the Military Police Company of the 108th Motorized Brigade and Suljagic was Security Officer at the time of the alleged crimes.
In his testimony, Radenkovic said that during the course of his four-month detention he slept on a concrete floor, adding that hygiene conditions were poor. He explained that he was exchanged and transferred to the prison in Tuzla in late 1994.
The Prosecution also examined Emir Busevac, former communications officer with the Third Battalion of the 108th Motorized Brigade, who said he saw injured party Radenkovic a few hours after he had been captured.
He was brought to our outpost command. He was met by some other members of ABiH. They gathered around him and started hitting him with their feet and hands, Busevac said.
The witness said that military policemen took Radenkovic away a short time later, and he never saw him again.
The trial is due to continue on March 3, 2011.M.A.———————————————————————————————–This article is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID.) The contents of this article are the sole responsibility of Balkan investigative reporting network (BIRN) and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
