Selimovic et al: No Knowledge of Prisoner Abuse

Witness Aleksandar Mrenica said that, as chief operational officer with the Command of the Fifth Corps of the ABiH, he received information about prisoners, but he never heard about any abuse cases.

“Detainees who were held in Adil Besic military barracks were treated in accordance with the Geneva Convention. It was in the interest of the Fifth Corps to gather information about the enemy from captured members of the Serbian Krajina Army and exchange the prisoners for living or dead soldiers,” Mrenica explained.

The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina charges Mehura Selimovic, Adil Ruznic and Emir Mustafic, former members of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with crimes committed in Bosnian Krajina. The indictment alleges that Selimovic, Ruznic and Mustafic helped in and abetted the detention of Serb soldiers and civilians in detention facilities in Bihac, Cazin and Bosanski Petrovac between 1994 and 1996.

The Prosecution alleges that Selimovic was Counter-intelligence Officer, Operational Officer and Deputy Chief of the Military Security Service Section with the Fifth Corps of ABiH, Ruznic was Assistant Commander for Security Affairs and Operational Officer with that Section and Mustafic was a member of the Military Police with the Fifth Corps.

Witness Mrenica said that as far as he knew indictee Selimovic was an honourable man and officer, adding that he had never received any information suggesting that he did anything that was contrary to an officer’s honour code.

The witness said that Serb prisoners were held in temporary stations in Bihac, Cazin and Bosanski Petrovac before being transferred to the Adil Besic military barracks in Bihac.

The witness said that the living conditions where the detainees stayed and the food they received were of the same quality as that provided to members of the Fifth Corps with the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“Soldiers and prisoners of war used to get meals as per the same menu. The accommodation conditions were the same as those for our soldiers. There were conditions for maintaining personal hygiene, there was water…I washed myself with cold water too,” Mrenica said.

Radomir Radakovic, former Crime and Anti-diversion Technician with the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Bihac, testified as the second Defence witness at this hearing. He said that he did not make “dactyloscopic cards”, like fingerprints, among other things, for prisoners of war.

“My colleagues, Muslims, made the fingerprint cards for prisoners of war. As I was a Serb, they treated me in a different manner. They did not let me do that. They may have thought that I might disclose a military secret,” Radakovic said.

The trial is due to continue on April 13, when the Defence will examine a new witness.

A.S.