Local Justice Krkalic: Closing Statements on May 21
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Testifying in his defence, Krkalic said that he did not know the persons, whom, as alleged under the indictment, he physically abused, adding that he did not know why they mention me as the person who mistreated them, knowing that I never used force while working as policeman.
I cannot sleep. I first heard about this problem when I received an invitation to come to the Prosecution. I am trying to investigate why me, why they are accusing me. It is still not known, but we shall find out one day, indictee Krkalic said.
Krkalic told the Court that members of the State Security Service and special police section searched houses, confiscated weapons and arrested people in order to be examined in the Tesanj area in 1992.
The Cantonal Prosecution in Zenica charges Krkalic, former policeman with the Public Safety Station in Tesanj, with having tortured Serb civilians in order to obtain their admission that they possessed or knew where the weapons were kept.
According to the charges, in June and July 1992 Krkalic physically and mentally abused civilians, who were held in LM cafe, where the police station was situated, by slapping them, beating them with his fists, police baton and a bag full of sand and banged their heads against the wall.
Sead Brka, Miralem Starcevic, Emir Hakic and Marinko Basic, who used to work with the indictee in the Public Safety Station in Tesanj, and Elnisa Bogdanic, who was a typist at the Station, testified in defence of the indictee before the Cantonal Court in Zenica.
All of the witnesses said that, as far as they knew, indictee Krkalic never arrested or abused Serb civilians, adding that they did not know the injured parties. Also, they said that no police actions were undertaken in the LM cafe, where, as alleged under the indictment, the crimes were committed. They said that civilians were brought to the cafe in order to be protected from shelling.
As far as I know, none of the policemen ever even tapped any of the prisoners while I was on duty, said Marinko Basic.
Elnisa Bogdanic said that she never heard or saw the indictee examining or mistreating anybody.
Dz.S.
