He Did not Mistreat Anybody

As the trial of Jasmin Sehagic for crimes in Kakanj continues before the Cantonal Court in Zenica, Defence witness Marijan Petrovic says that the indictee did not mistreat anybody and that he did not hear other people say any bad words about him during his “stay in detention”.

Petrovic said that he was brought to the detention facility along with a group of neighbours.

“My colleague Halid Jasarspahic came on the third day. He asked Sehagic to release me, so I could find out where my family was. The three of us went to UNPROFOR together. I found my wife there,” witness Petrovic said.

He mentioned that he was released six days later and that he received a certificate from a Haris Bjelopoljak, who told him to go home.

“As my house was pillaged and devastated, I too went to UNPROFOR. I stayed there for nine-and-a-half months,” Petrovic said.

According to the charges, Sehagic, former Manager of a detention facility in the old Mine Directorate building in Kakanj, participated in the torture of Croat detainees. He is charged with having failed to undertake measures in order to prevent tortures and report torture perpetrators.

The Defence presented the Chamber with a list of several tens of witnesses, whom it wanted to examine during the continuation of the trial. The list contains names of officers to whom Sehagic was subordinate and civilians, who were held in the detention facility.

The Defence’s goal is to determine Sehagic’s competencies and confirm its thesis that the injured parties accentuated their unfavourable status in relation to the indictee in order to gain the status of war victims.

The Prosecution objected to the proposal, requesting the Defence to reduce the list to a reasonable size.

The Court decided to invite eight witnesses.

The trial is due to continue on February 20.