Selimovic et al: Treated in “Humane Manner”

Testifying in defence of indictees Mehura Selimovic and Adil Ruznic, witness Husnija Avdagic said that he never received any  information suggesting that prisoners were treated in an inhumane manner.

“Had any of them been treated in an inhumane manner, I would have been informed on the basis of my command responsibility. However, I never received any complaints in that regard,” Avdagic said, explaining that the indictees spent only 10 per cent of working time dealing with prisoners.

The witness said that they spent the rest of the time in the field, because there were major security problems.

“During the ten percent of their working time which they spent dealing with prisoners, they collected the necessary information about the enemy as well as crimes committed against the Bosniak population by the enemy forces. The indictees sorted the collected data as well,” Avdagic said.

The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina charges Selimovic, Ruznic and Emir Mustafic, former members of the ABiH, with crimes committed in Bosnian Krajina.

The Prosecution alleges that Selimovic, Ruznic and Mustafic assisted in and abetted the detention of Serb soldiers and civilians in detention facilities in Bihac, Cazin and Bosanski Petrovac in the period from 1994 to 1996.

According to the indictment, Selimovic was Counter-intelligence Officer, Operational Officer and Deputy Chief of the Military Security Service Section with the ABiH Fifth Corps, Ruznic was Assistant Commander for Security and Operational Officer with that Section and Mustafic was a member of the Military Police Unit with the Fifth Corps.

Responding to questions posed by the Defence of indictee Mustafic, Avdagic said that guards could not examine detainees.

The witness said that he knew that detainees were held in the Adil Besic military barracks, the Luke prison in Bihac, the Rad car workshop in Cazin and the plastic factory in Petrovac.

“I am sure that Selimovic and Ruznic did not examine detainees in Cazin and Petrovac. They were examined by other officers from that area,” Avdagic said.

The witness explained that, after they were captured, members of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS were briefly orally examined and then they got a piece of paper with questions they had to answer. The witness added that detainees were examined more than once only when they refused to respond to certain questions.

“Officers were rarely present while detainees answered questions. They were only present if a detainee was illiterate or if he could not understand the questions,” Avdagic said.

The witness said that they received “comprehensive data about crimes” committed by Serb forces against the Bosniak population from some Serb prisoners. The witness explained that this was how information was gathered about the murder of 150 people in Velagici village, Kljuc municipality, and the murder of about 200 people in Biljani village, Kljuc municipality.

The trial is due to continue on April 20, 2011, when the Defence teams will examine a new witness.

A.S.