Silos: Guards Abusing Prisoners

Bosko Mrkaja said that up until June 19, 1992, he had lived in the village of Smucka near Tarcin, when he was taken to the Silos prison. He said that during his stay in the Silos he was not beaten, but he heard that guards Azir and Kalember beat up prisoner Djoko Vidic.

“Kalmber asked Djoko where he was from and told him: ‘You’re the one who slit the throat of my uncle.’ He did nothing to him that day, but the next day Azir came and took Djoko out. They beat him up,” said the witness, explaining that Vidic told him later that both prisoners had beaten him.

Nermin Kalember is charged with crimes committed in the “Silos” camp, “Krupa” barracks and “May 9” primary school, together with Mustafa Djelilovic, Fadil Covic, Mirsad Sabic, Nezir Kazic, Becir Hujic, Halid Covic and Serif Mesanovic.

Becir Hujic was the warden, as well as deputy warden of the “Silos” camp, together with Halid Covic. Kalmber was a guard in “Silos”, while the others were members of the civilian, military and police authorities.

Mrkaja said that several days later Kalember called out Vidic again but this time he did not beat him, “only to take him to clean the toilets”.

“Guard Memisevic was toying with us. He forced us to stand still for several hours. Once the warden came, he asked us why we were standing and told us to sit down,” he said, adding that the warden did not know why the prisoners were standing.

Speaking about the conditions in the Silos, Mrkaja said that in the beginning prisoners were served one meal a day, and that people were starving to death.

“We complained to the warden about the food. The warden was Becir, but he told us: ‘Our army does not have food either’,” said the witness, who left “Silos” in early December 1992.

The witness was presented with the verdict against him from 1995 for the possession of weapons and the decision on his amnesty, to which he said he did not even know he was being processed for anything.

At the beginning of his testimony, Mrkaja said that a month or two before being imprisoned he received weapons from the Serb Democratic Party, which he turned over before he was incarcerated.

The trial will resume on March 7.