Witness Says Forced Labour Injured His Spine
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The protected witness, code named W, was brought to Planjina’s House in Vogosca, eastern Bosnia, in August 22, 1992, together with his neighbours from a nearby village.
According to the witness, there was a line-up each morning at 7 am, when jobs were assigned to the prisoners.
The witness recalled injuriung his spine when he went to cut wood for Bosnian Serb soldiers. He said that he could not lift a trunk, and after someone told those who had brought him that he had refused to carry it, a man named Savo came and “fired a shot next to my ear”.
He said that he then went under the trunk, which other prisoners lifted up, but it fell on his back.
“I was immobile for 40 days,” he said, adding that he cannot do physical labour even today.
Asked about the conditions in Planjina’s House, the witness said: “150 people slept in one room. I have nothing further to explain”.
He added that guards beat prisoners in the camp, and stated the names of two people whom he believed had died from beatings.
The prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina charges Vlaco, as warden of the camp known as “Planjina’s House”, “Bunker”, “Sonja” and “Naka’s Garage”, with establishing a system of abuse of imprisoned civilians.
According to the indictment, prisoners were murdered, tortured and abused. They were forced to do hard labour and be part of a human shield, as a result of which many of them died. Dozens are still missing.
The witness recalled the event when he went to see Vlaco with another prisoner who asked that people be allowed to go and sleep at their own homes, but still continue doing hard labour. Vlaco promised them that this would happen, he said.
However, a day later, he said, Vlaco showed up for the line-up for the first time, and the prisoner who had asked that they be allowed to go home was instead assigned to the human shield, where he got killed.
The witness said he was released from Planjina’s House with others and allowed to return to his village on September 25 or 26.
“I weighed 107 kilograms when I came to Planjina’s House, and 59 when they released me,” the witness said.
The defence plans to examine the witness at the hearing on August 28.
