Prisoners’ ‘Bones Broken’ at Vogosca Jail Camps

Forensics expert Hamza Zujo told the court in Sarajevo on Wednesday that the autopsy on one victim’s body revealed multiple fractures in the neck, vertebrae, upper arms, lower legs and other parts of the body, all caused by gunshots.

The remains of the victim, Ramiz Handzic, whose name is listed in the war crimes indictment against defendant Branko Vlaco, were exhumed at the training ground of the Kosevo stadium in Sarajevo.

Zujo also presented evidence about several other victims listed in the indictment against Vlaco, who is accused of establishing a system to abuse civilian prisoners at the Bunker, Planjina Kuca, Sonja and Nakina Garaza detention centres in Vogosca during wartime.

The forensics expert said that these victims, whose remains were found at the Vlakovo cemetery in Sarajevo, had visible head injuries caused by firearms, but he could not establish the exact causes or time of their deaths.

“In 1997 in Vlakovo we used classic identification methods, because there was no lab. Based on the data and the clothes described by the relatives, we did the identification,” said Zujo, adding that this method is not the most reliable one.

The prosecution filed his findings into evidence, as well as some other material evidence related to the disappearance and death of the victims.

According to the indictment against Vlaco, prisoners at the Bunker, Planjina Kuca, Sonja and Nakina Garaza detention centres were abused, forced to do hard labour and used as human shields. Many of them were killed and dozens are still missing.

The trial will resume on March 19.