Dronjak: Suffering and Mistreatment

Mirhad Jusic, former member of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina , ABiH, told the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina that he was captured in Gorjevac village, Bihac municipality in September 1994 and taken to the Kamenica detention camp.

“While I was held in the Kamenica detention camp, I was subjected to suffering, hunger, physical and mental mistreatment and all the most horrible things. (…) Guards used to come to the basement, where we were held, every evening and pointed a flashlight battery at one man after the other. Then they would take one man out, beat him up and come back to take the next one,” the witness said.

Jusic told the Court that guards took him out and beat him, but he could not remember how many times it happened.

Witness Jusic testified at the trial of Ratko Dronjak, former Commander and Manager of Kamenica detention camp and “Slavko Rodic” school building prison in Drvar, whom the State Prosecution charges with having organised the unlawful detention of Bosniak and Croat civilians and prisoners of war in the period from 1992 to 1995.

The indictment alleges that civilians and prisoners of war, who were held in those buildings, were subjected to torture, beating, murder and inhumane treatment, while being forced to perform hard labour.

Witness Jusic said that he did not know who the detention camp manager was while he was held in Kamenica, but he remembered that a man, who introduced himself as the manager, came with the guards one night.

“A man came in and said that he was the manager. We had to stand up, while he walked by us, holding a stick, and pointed to those who should be taken out. He came to me that night. He pointed at me with the stick. I fainted, because I was exhausted and afraid. I never saw him again,” the witness said.

Jusic said that a few people died in the Kamenica detention camp after having been beaten up, adding that guards used to hit prisoners with boots, rifle butts and sticks.

When asked by the Defence if he was abused by the indictee, the witness said that he did not remember Dronjak.

The trial is due to continue on October 27 this year.