Disappearance of Dzemal Sejdic

Testifying at the trial of Branko Vlaco, who is charged with crimes in Vogosca, a State Prosecution witness says that his son disappeared from “Planjina Kuca” in 1992 and that his body has never been found.

Kasim Sejdic lived in Semizovac in 1992, when an attack on Svrake village was conducted. He and his family tried to leave and reach the territory under the control of the Bosnian army, but, as he said, they returned him to Semizovac.

“Nebojsa Spiro came and took my son Dzemal to ‘Bunker’. Dzemal was born in 1971. He was recruited by the Territorial Defence in Svrake, but he was not armed,” Sejdic said, adding that his son was held in the detention camp for 22 days.

Witness Sejdic said that he performed his civil duties, but his wife went to visited the detention camp every day in order to ask them to release her son.

“After that they let him go home one day in order to have lunch and take a bath. He was not allowed to tell us anything. He had to report back to ‘Planjina Kuca’ at 5 o’clock,” Sejdic said, adding that Dzemal’s mother saw him off to the bridge, but soldiers did not let her go further.

According to witness Sejdic’s testimony, his son has been missing without trace since.
He said that a Nebojsa Spiric asked them to give golden jewellery and money for their son, but they had nothing. Sejdic said that he did not see indictee Branko Vlaco at that time.

Vlaco is charged with crimes committed in “Planjina Kuca”, “Bunker”, “Kod Sonje” and “Nakina Garaza” facilities. He is charged, in his capacity as Manager of those facilities, with having established a system for punishment of detained civilians. According to the charges, detainees were abused, forced to perform hard labour and used as human shields. Many of them were killed at those locations, while tens of them are still missing.

Second State Prosecution witness Mehrudin Hadzalic said that he was taken to “Sonja” detention camp in 1992. As he said, while being examined upon his arrival, he was beaten up by a Nele. He said that he was taken to other locations in order to perform labour twice.

“I stayed there for 14 days. We were told that Vlaco was the detention camp manager. He came one day and selected about fifteen of us, who were then released from the detention camp,” Hadzalic said, adding that he had to report to the Police Station in Vogosca three times a day for a certain period of time after having been released.

Two Serbs evacuated Hadzalic and his family from Vogosca. He said that he promised them that he would never tell their names to anybody.

The trial is due to continue on January 15 next year.