Fear and Trauma in Vogosca Prison

At the trial for the crimes committed in the territory of Vogosca, the witness for the prosecution said that the defendant, Brane Vlaco came to Naka’s Garage almost every day during his captivity.

Mirsad Piknjac said he was taken with his family and other people from Svrake to the hangar of the nearby army barracks in early May, 1992, and that he saw the defendant regularly while held in the facility.

“I think that the next day, I don’t know exactly what day was that, Vlaco addressed us. He told us: ‘Don’t be afraid, citizens of Svrake, not a hair of your head will be touched. We are saving you for the exchange,” said the witness.

According to the prosecution, Vlaco was the warden of the Bunker, Planjina Kuca, Sonja and Nakina Garaza detention camps in Vogosca, where he established a system to abuse imprisoned civilians.

Prisoners were murdered, tortured and abused, forced to do hard labour and used as human shields. Many of them were killed and dozens are still considered missing.

After seven days spent in the barracks, the witness was moved with other men to Naka’s Garage. He said that on that day he saw Vlaco who informed them about the transfer.

Women and children were not taken to Naka’s Garage, because, he said, they were released earlier.

“We all feared for our lives, for our families. That was traumatic,” he said, adding that some people forced prisoners to sing songs that were “offensive to Muslims”.

He said he was seeing the defendant in the facility daily.

“The defendant came almost every day while we were in Naka’s Garage and addressed us. He told us no one would bother us,” he said.

Replying to the question from the Trial Chamber, the witness said that he learnt in captivity that the defendant was the warden.
After being released, the witness spent the time in Svrake, then on June 11 went to Vogosca, and fled from there.

Journalists missed the testimony by Mustafa Dervisevic, because the trial started half an hour earlier than it was specified in the official schedule of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Court also refused to release the audio recording of this testimony.

The trial is scheduled to resume on September 18.