Slapping Prisoners

Savo Brkic said that he was 16-year old, when he was captured on September 14, 1992 after Bukvik and the surrounding villages had been occupied by Bosniak and Croat units.

“They kept us tied in some trench on the side of the road for several hours, while a tank drove over our heads. Then they began transporting all Serb adult men by trucks to the Community Centre in Gornji Rahic. They searched us at the entrance. They took away all our belongings. Nijaz Hodzic personally took 50 German Marks from me. He did not beat my father and me, but I saw him hitting another prisoner,” Brkic said.

Brkic told the Court that the conditions in the hall were bad.

“We were lying on concrete floor in the first few days. We had to lie on the side, as there were too many of us in the room. There was little food. We poured water from some barrel. We could use the toilet only twice during one day and we had to walk in a column while being escorted by a military patrol. During my stay I noticed that various soldiers entered the hall and beat prisoners. They physically mistreated nine Serbs more than anybody else. They would line them up against the hall wall first,” Brkic said.

Witness Brkic said that indictee Nijaz Hodzic helped him by bringing him food during his stay in detention.

The indictment alleges that Hadzic and Hodzic participated in the torture and inhumane treatment of Serb civilians and prisoners of war from the Bukvik area, Brcko District during 1992 and 1993.

The Prosecution alleges that Hadzic was an inspector with the Public Safety Station in Brcko and Hodzic was military policeman with the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, who also worked as detention camps – collection centers guard at the time.

Second Brcko District Prosecution witness Ilija Veselinovic said that he was captured on September 15, 1992.

“They transported us to the Centre in Gornji Rahic by trucks. They lined us up and told us to hand over our belongings. Nijaz Hodzic met us at the entrance to the big hall. He did not touch me, but I saw that he slapped a man named Marko, because he found some money hidden in his clothes. After that he hit a few more male Serb captives, when they entered the room,” witness Veselinovic said.

The witness said that he spent three days in that hall and that Galib Hadzic came once and slapped a prisoner.

The trial is due to continue on March 23.