Local Justice – Dautovic: Beaten up in Clinic

Testifying for the Cantonal Prosecution in Bihac, Semsudin Husic said that, in June 1994 he was taken, along with 11 other people, from Drmaljevo detention camp to the morgue of the Clinic in Velika Kladusa, where they stayed for four days.

“Dautovic and another member of the Western Bosnia Autonomous Region, WBAR came to pick us up. They called out our names and handcuffed us in pairs. They then transported us by minivan to the clinic in three rounds. After having brought us to the Clinic, they took us to the morgue. Later on they took us out, one by one, in order to question us. We heard beating, screaming… It went on until the arrival of Sulejman Latic, who stopped the torture. We were then taken back to the detention camp,” Husic said.

Husic said that he was once taken to a dark room, where he was beaten up. As he said, while he was in the room, he recognised the indictee’s voice. Husic pointed to the indictee in the courtroom, saying that took him from Drmeljevo to the Clinic and participated in the beating of him and other detained civilians.

The Una-Sana Cantonal Prosecution charges Dautovic, former Commander of the Squad for Guarding of Buildings with the Ministry of Defence and WBAR Military Police, with having taken 12 civilians from the Drmaljevo detention camp to the Clinic in Velika Kladusa on June 18, 1994. The civilians were then allegedly subjected to severe physical abuse.

Dautovic was arrested in Norway in April 2007. After having spent four years in an extradition prison, he was extradited to Bosnia and Herzegovina judicial bodies in November 2011. He has been held in the Penal and Correctional Facility in Bihac since.

Dzeko Bibuljica, one of the 12 persons, who were taken to the Clinic in Velika Kladusa, was examined at this hearing. As he said, the indictee took them to the Clinic, where they spent four days. They took him out for an examination of the second night.

“They beat me up until I collapsed. I remember that Dautovic said: ‘This one will not live long’. I asked for water. They took me out and brought me back again. Latic came by and asked them what was going on. I heard them quarrel with each other. Then they stopped beating us,” Bibuljica said.

Emin Redzic, Alija Feriz, Mujo Milak and Husein Music testified at this hearing as well. The Bihac Cantonal Prosecutor read a statement given by deceased Mehmed Jusic.

Witnesses Redzic and Music said that they were not sure if the indictee examined and beat them during the course of their detention in the Clinic in Velika Kladusa.

All of the witnesses said that, while being held in the Clinic in Velika Kladusa, they were “under an emotional pressure”, considering the fact that they had starved and suffered pain for four days, while some of them had broken arms and ribs due to the beating.

The Defence objected to some parts of witnesses’ statements, in which they mentioned the indictee, saying that they learned Dautovic’s name only after the investigation had been opened.

The trial of Dautovic is due to continue on Tuesday, March 27 this year.
Dz.D.