Direct Findings about Detention in “Viktor Bubanj”

Dragan Glamocak, who testified for the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, told the Court that, in May 1992 he was taken from his apartment in Dobrinja to “a basement”, where he was kept for ten days.
As he said, they then took him from that basement to “Viktor Bubanj” prison in Sarajevo.

“As soon as we arrived, they began beating us. I was kicked on my kidney. After that they took me to a cell, which I shared with 12 other prisoners,” Glamocak explained, adding that he did not know who hit him.

As he continued testifying, he said that, on the day he was brought to the cell, where he saw 12 other prisoners, he was called out and taken to an informative interview. He was then released home.

“I do not know why I was detained. I also do not know why they released me from the prison on that same day. Maybe somebody knew me and asked them to release me,” the witness said.

Ramiz Avdovic and Iulian-Nicolae Vintila are on trial for having committed crimes in the central prison and former “Viktor Bubanj” military barracks. They are charged with having participated in the establishment and maintenance of a system for abuse of Serb civilians.

According to the charges, Avdovic was Commander of Guards on the fifth floor of the District Prison in Sarajevo and former “Viktor Bubanj” military barracks, while Vintila was a cook and guard in the former barracks.

Milomir Nisic and Milivoje Matic, whose brothers were detained in “Viktor Bubanj” barracks in the summer of 1992, testified at this hearing as well.

Nisic said that, after the war his wife met Mladen Draskovic, who was detained in the same cell with his brother, and that he told her that his brother died due to injuries caused to him in the prison.

“He told her everything. He told her that they beat him and that he died due to the beating. When his remains were exhumed, an expert said that he did not die due to being hit by a bullet,” Nisic explained.

Milivoje Matic also told the Court that Ilija Mitrovic, who was held in the same cell with his brother Slobodan, told him that he was beaten up several times during his detention and that he was taken to other locations in order to perform hard labour every day.

“He told me that Slobodan used to be beaten up. He was exhumed in January 1993. The examination of his remains determined that he had injuries on his cheek bones and chest,” witness Matic said.

The trial is due to continue on Wednesday, November 17, 2013, when the Prosecution will invite two new witnesses.