Local Justice – Brcko: Mistreatment of Indictee

Ivica Vidakovic said that he went from his apartment to the house of Borislav Ilic, indictee Monika Karan-Ilic’s father, out of fear on May 4, 1992.

“Besides me, some other people were in the house as well. As Monika had not lived with her father before the war, she appeared in the house around May 6 and stayed for ten days. During those few days Monika did not leave the house, but she told me that she faced some problems, because Goran Jelisic was threatening her and asking her to return to the house, where she had lived with her mother,” Vidakovic said.

According to Vidakovic, the indictee “just disappeared from the house” one day while her father was away.

“I do not know who took her away, but I heard, later on, that Goran took her forcibly to Bijeljina, where he physically mistreated and abused her,” the witness said.

After having admitted guilt before The Hague Tribunal for crimes committed in Brcko, Goran Jelisic was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2001.

The indictment, which contained eight counts, alleges that Monika Karan-Ilic is charged with having participated in the torture and inhumane treatment of detained civilians in the Luka detention camp and Public Safety Station in Brcko from May 1992 to July 10, 1992.

During the cross-examination Prosecutor Amela Mustafic asked the witness if he heard anything about Goran Jelisic’s personality. Vidakovic responded by saying that people said that he was “a dangerous guy”.

The Defence of indictee Monika Karan-Ilic proposed that two more witnesses be examined at the next hearing, when indictee Monika Karan-Ilic will testify in her defence.

The trial is due to continue on December 6 this year.