Beating Made Witness Cry

“My village Lupoglavo was surrounded from all sides on June 6 or 7. On that day an army commanded by Mr. Zijad Hamzic came,” witness Miroslav Markovic (85), said.

He said that he handed over his hunting gun to Safet Mujcinovic, “Commander of the Station” in Stupari, and his revolver to Ramiz Halilovic, “leader of military police”, adding that he had a permit for that. Markovic requested them today to return his weapons to him.

According to this witness, about 25 Serb residents, who did not flee, were transported to Stupari. As he said, he was first beaten by Kahro Vejzovic, who examined him about the weapons, in the school building in Stupari on June 16.

“He later hit me with a wooden hammer. He put a knife to my throat. Speak or you’ll be slaughtered. I said nothing,” the witness said.

The witness was detained, along with others, in the educational workers’ building in Stupari. As he said, during the night on August 8 Senad Hodzic, known as Sugo, came and drove him to “cousin Kahro Vejzovic” at the local police office.

Prosecutor Dragan Corlija said that, during the investigation he said that the man’s name was Nedzad ‘Sugo’ Hodzic, but the witness said that he “mixed those two names”, adding that he knew the man and his parents.

“While he was beating me, Senad watched. He hit me on the upper part of my body, on my back and so on,” the witness said.

On the following day Markovic was beaten up again. As he said, he went to Lupoglavo with Kahro, Sugo and another person and showed them the ammunition and two bombs, which he had kept in order to defend himself from “extremists”.

He said that Kahro then began searching his nephew’s courtyard, but with no success. He then began beating him.

“He hit me with some hard object. My eardrum broke, so blood began pouring out of it. I cried,” Markovic said.

He said that he was returned to the local office in Stupari and that, on their way, they came across Zijad Hamzic, who said: “Beat the hell out of him”. He said that Kahro Vejzovic then beat him up several times.

According to the charges, Kahro Vejzovic, former reserve policeman in Stupari, is charged with having beaten Markovic in June and August 1992.

The witness said that, on one occasion Safet Mujcinovic asked him questions about the weapons found on his property. “Those were some rifles about which I knew nothing,” he said.

The witness said that, under Mujcinovic’s pressure, he admitted that the weapons belonged to him, so he was sentenced before the Military Court in Tuzla.

Defence attorney Vasvija Vidovic questioned the witness about conditions in the educational workers’ buildings when Halilovic “was appointed the Manager”.

“To tell you honestly, the conditions were partially better in comparison to Safet’s term as Commander,” he said.

Vidovic then read a part of his previous statement in which he said that “there was no torture any more”. In that statement he said that the Serbian Democratic Party gave him the rifle and two bombs in case of an attack.

“I did not see the rifle,” said the witness, who was exchanged in July 1993.

Vejzovic, Mujcinovic, Hamzic, Halilovic and Hodzic are on trial, along with Selman Busnov, Nusret Muhic, Hariz Habibovic and Osman Gogic, for having committed crimes in Kladanj.

The trial is due to continue on November 15.