Beaten to Death

Samuilo Subotic said that all local residents of Duzice village, Breza municipality, were taken to the Police Station, where they were examined, on June 10, 1992. The Station Chief led the examinations. He was accompanied by a note-taker. Subotic said that three or four soldiers entered the room during the examinations and beat people.

“I do not know who hit me. I fell down. I woke up when they poured water over me. I saw that they took Zdravko Subotic out to the corridor and brought him back later on. I saw that a soldier hit him on his nape with a baton and another one on his chest with his leg. He fell down. He remained lying dead until they carried him out,” Subotic recalled.

According to the witness’ testimony, they were transferred to another building the following day. A doctor examined them and gave them some medicines. Momcilo Subotic was beaten up as well. Samuilo said that he died in that other building at around noon. The witness said that nobody beat them after that.

Responding to a question by the indictee’s Defence, the witness said that he did not know the indictee and could not remember having seen him in the Police Station building.

The Zenica Cantonal Prosecution has charged Dedic with having participated in the beating of Serb civilians during the collection of illegal weapons in June 1992.

“On that occasion houses were searched and local residents unlawfully taken to the Police Station, where they were examined and beaten up,” the indictment alleges.

The indictment further alleges that two persons died due to injuries they received in the Police Station, while three persons got severe bodily injuries.

Witness Vlatko Pavlic examined the prisoners, who were beaten up.

“An unknown young man approached me in the street. He introduced himself as a prison guard. He told me that there was a prison in Breza and that some people had come from other places and beat Serbs from Breza. He asked me to do something,” Pavlic said.

Pavlic said that he then went to police Commander Meho Kulic, but he did not know about the mistreatment of prisoners.

“When I visited the prisoners in the old workers’ building, which was located in the vicinity of the Territorial Defence premises, the situation was very bad. I determined that several of them had severe injuries and that all of them had been beaten,” Pavlic said.

Pavlic said that Momcilo Subotic had “a bilateral serial rib fracture accompanied by paradoxical breathing.” According to Pavlic’s testimony, Mico Subotic had bruises all over his body and was brutally beaten up.

“Gymnasium teacher Milorad Subotic had a broken arm, while Nikica Novakovic got severe injuries to the kidneys. I thought that he would not survive either,” Pavlic said, adding that he visited the building a few more times and organised daily visits by physicians and nurses from the Dispensary.

Pavlic said that he did not know who beat the prisoners or whether the indictee was present or not.

The trial is due to continue on April 8.