Detained without Court Decision

As the trial for crimes in Sarajevo continues, State Prosecution witness Senad Kreho says that, upon his arrival to “Viktor Bubanj” military barracks on September 1, 1992, he saw about twenty prisoners, who were detained without a court decision.

Kreho said that he was appointed President of the District Military Prison on August 23, 1992 and that he arrived to “Viktor Bubanj” military barracks on September 1. He said that most of the detainees did not have decisions about detention.

“I received a list of detainees from Besim Muderizovic, Manager of the detention unit. I interviewed all of them. About 20 of them had decisions about detention until May or June, but not beyond those dates. This was why they were released,” Krehos said.

He said that, as far as the others were concerned, a process was initiated according to the law. Those, who were sentenced, were then sent to the Central Prison on the fifth floor of that same building in order to serve their sentences. 

Ramiz Avdovic and Iulian-Nicolae Vintila are on trial for having committed crimes in “Viktor Bubanj” from the summer of 1992 to 1993. They are charged with having participated in the establishment and maintenance of a system for abuse of Serb civilians, some of whom died.

The State Prosecution alleges that 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. Besim Muderizovic was originally charged under the same indictment, but he died during the trial.
 
Witness Kreho said that he had known indictee Ramiz Avdovic from before and that he met him in the barracks as a guard, adding that he met indictee Vintila as a cook. 

Kreho said that there were no problems during his term as President of the District Court, which ended in October 1992, and that the conditions were pretty good considering the wartime circumstances.

When asked by judge Ljubomir Kitic if any persons died, Kreho responded negatively. He said that he had not heard about “the sudden disappearance of Ognjen Cajevic during the night”, which was mentioned by previous witnesses.
 
Witness Slavica Sikima said that Ljubomir Drakul informed her that her father died in “Viktor Bubanj” military barracks after having been beaten up. 

“In 2011 Drakul visited me and my mother and told us that my father was with him in the cell, that they beat him and that he was in horrible pain and died in 1992. Later on they dumped him next to a container. After that a man named Radomir Kuvac took him to the emergency medical unit, where doctors determined that he was dead,” the witness said, adding that he felt sorry, because Drakul was dead, so he could not testify about it.

As she said, doctors determined later on that “each little bone” in her father’s body was “beaten” and that his death was caused by the beating. 

The trial is due to continue on December 6.