Slapped by Ivan Zelenika

Petar Golijanin said that he was brought to the military dispensary on July 23, 1992, adding that he was met by a person, whose name, as he found out in Dretelj later on, was Ivan Zelenika.

“He hanged me on a water-pipe by handcuffing me to it. When I started crying for help, some people came. As they could not take the handcuffs off, they wanted to cut my arm,” Golijanin said.

The witness said that he was beaten in the military dispensary, where he was held for a few days. He said that he did not think that Zelenika hit him, but his guards did.

Zelenika is charged, along with Srecko Herceg, Edib Buljubasic, Ivan Medic and Marina Grubisic-Fejzic, former members of HOS, with having committed crimes in Dretelj.

The indictment alleges that Zelenika was an officer with HOS, Herceg was Commander of Dretelj, Buljubasic was Deputy Commander of the military barracks in Dretelj, while Medic and Grubisic-Fejzic were guards. According to the charges, they participated in forcing detainees to perform hard labour and torturing them. A few persons died due to consequences of the abuse.

Golijanin said that he was transferred from the military dispensary to Dretelj, where he was mistreated and beaten as well.  

“They cut a moon and star symbol on the top of my head,” he said.

The witness said that detainees were not only tortured by men, but also by some women, in Dretelj. Some of them sexually abused men. Also, he said that he thought that Edib Buljubasic participated in the beating of detainee Bozo Balaban.

“You beat detainees in a brutal manner. You beat them up more than anybody else in the prison,” the witness said, addressing indictee Buljubasic.

Testifying at this hearing, protected witness G said that he was taken to the military dispensary at the beginning of August 1992 and that he was examined by Ivan Zelenika, whose name he found out later on. He said that Zelenika slapped him while examining him. On the following day witness G was taken to Dretelj, where he was beaten up by a young man.  

“He began hitting me. After having slapped me a few times, he pushed a revolver pipe into my mouth. When he took it out, he spitted into my mouth,” G said, adding that he was beaten up several times during his stay in Dretelj.

He told the Court that he heard that “Major Srecko Herceg” was the Dretelj Manager. The Defence asked him why he failed to mention Srecko’s last name in his previous statement. The witness responded by saying that it was “a lapse”, adding that he knew his last name at that time”.

G said that he used to see a woman called Marina in Dretelj and that she mistreated some detainees. Both witnesses testified in Podgorica via video link.

Towards the end of the hearing indictee Buljubasic started insulting Prosecutor Remzija Smailagic and Trial Chamber Chairwoman Enida Hadziomerovic. He said that he was not satisfied with the way the Chairwoman treated him. Hadziomerovic ordered the indictee to leave the courtroom.

The trial is due to continue on June 4.