Crying while Recalling Sexual Abuse

Testifying at the trial for crimes in Konjic, a protected State Prosecution witness says that indictee Ibro Macic was one of the three guards who forced him to have sexual intercourse with other detainees in the “Musala” hall.

“We had to pull our trousers down and satisfy each other orally,” protected witness A-1 said, adding that one of those detainees was a distant relative of his.

The witness said that they were hit on that occasion and that, besides Ibro Macic, a man named Osmo, one of the Alic brothers and some other soldiers were present as well. As he said, he did not mention the sexual abuse to State Investigation and Protection Agency, SIPA, investigators, because he was ashamed.

Prosecutor Sanja Jukic was interested in finding out why he did not mention Macic’s name to SIPA. The witness explained that, after having left “Musala”, he found out that his name was Ibro. During his testimony he said that he did not know when or from whom he found what Macic’s name was.

According to the witness’ testimony, Miralem Macic too used to come to “Musala” and beat other detainees, but he did not beat him. He said that he could differentiate between him and Ibro Macic.

“Everybody knew that Miralem Macic used to beat everybody, when he came,” he said.

The witness, who recognized Ibro Macic in the courtroom, said that “he has not changed at all” in comparison to 20 years ago, when he last saw him.

He said that Ibro Macic had a tattoo on his arm, adding that, as far as he could remember, it was “some image”.

When asked by the Trial Chamber if indictee Ibro Macic was the person, who mistreated the four of them, the witness said:
“I am more than 90 percent sure. I would let you cut my head off to prove that it was Ibro Macic”.

According to the charges, Ibro Macic, who was accompanied by other members of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ordered the sexual abuse of four detainees in “Musala” sports hall. Besides that, he is charged with other inhumane treatments and mistreatment of detainees in “Musala” from April to October 1993.

The protected witness said he was brought, along with four acquaintances of his, to “Musala” sports hall in July 1993. Some unknown soldiers beat them up as soon as they entered the hall. As he said, they were taken for examinations and beaten. They had to describe how they raped a girl, who was killed later, although the four of them did not do it.

“Sexual abuse was the worst of all the tortures to which we were subjected. I know that it was Friday the 13th,” said the witness, who was upset and crying during the most part of his testimony.

He said that, after the four men had been beaten up, Ibro Macic, Osmo and Alic came to the cell during the night, took them to the hall and forced them to have sexual intercourse.
“They laughed,” he said.

The witness was not able to say which one of the three men ordered them to take their trousers off. He said that, during that night Ibro Macic and Osmo took them to another room and “inserted a metal pipe into our rear parts”, so he was later not able to sit for longer than a few minutes.

The protected witness was exchanged in October 1993.

“Maybe I look like a normal person. Everything is broken in my soul,” he said, adding that he had not told his family about the sexual abuse.

When he said, during his testimony, that he did not consider Ibro Macic a tall man, Defence attorney Fadil Abaz wanted to know why he said that to the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the investigation. The witness explained that he did not say that and that he did not read the statement he gave.

The trial of Macic, who is also charged with the murder of old women in Blace village, near Konjic, is due to continue on December 13.