Witness: Indictee Did Not Hit Me

Witness Aleksandar Pavlovic told the Court that he went from Brcko to GornjiRahic on May 6, 1992 in order to avoid combat activities, but he was capturedand brought to a house, where he stayed overnight.
 
“They examined me on the following day. After that they transferred me to along tin smoke house without windows in Okrajci. Upon my arrival, I saw severalother Serb detainees,” the witness said.
 
According to the testimony of the witness, they could not leave the buildingexcept when military policemen took them to other locations, where theyperformed labour and “dig unexploded 155mm howitzer grenades”.
 
The witness said that the living conditions “were horrible”, adding that theyused a bucket instead of going to toilet. As he said, they received two mealsper day during the first seven days and one meal only during the remaining 48days.
 
“During my stay in Okrajci, I was examined several times. I remember that, onenight they took Nedeljko Djokic out for examination. When they brought him back15 minutes later, his teeth were broken,” the witness said, adding that he wasthen taken out to a room, where he saw Tatarevic and some other soldiers.
 
The witness explained that Asmir Tatarevic then threw a bomb in front of hislegs, but the bomb did not explode because it was a fake one. Another soldierhit him on his head. Blood began pouring over his face due to the beating.
 
“One of those soldiers nicknamed Sok took a revolver and pointed it towards me.However, indictee Tatarevic stood up, yelled at him and took me out of theroom. As we were leaving the room, Sok managed to hit me once more,” thewitness said.
 
According to the charges, Tatarevic and Omazic, former members of the Army ofBosnia and Herzegovina, physically abused Serb civilian detainees. At that timeTatarevic was an escort to the Commander of the 108th Brigade of the CroatianDefence Council, HVO, in Bosanska Posavina, while Omazic was military policemanwith the Military Police Company.
 
The trial of Tatarevic and Omazic before the Basic Court of Brcko Districtbegan anew after a new Trial Chamber Chairman had been appointed.
 
Prosecutor Radmilo Ivanovic asked the witness to explain whether, during hisdetention he got an impression that indictee Tatarevic was a superior officerto the group of HOS members. The witness responded by saying that he did notknow, but he added that he mostly yelled and shouted at detainees.
 
When asked to explain his response further, the witness said that he had neverseen that the indictee hit somebody or ordered others to do it.