Giving up on Examining Witnesses

Testifyin at the trial for crimes against Serb civilians in Sarajevo, a Defence witness says that he used to see the indictees in the “Viktor Bubanj” military barracks, but he did not notice that guards mistreated detainees.

Senad Rozajac told the Court that he was detained in the Central Prison in Sarajevo at the beginning of September 1992 and that he was then transferred to former “Viktor Bubanj” military barracks, where he spent more than ten months.

The witness said that he did not see indictee Avdovic on the fifth floor of the Central Prison, where he was held for three days.

“I remember his face, but I did not see him on the fifth floor. I saw him two or three times in ‘Viktor Bubanj’, most often near the truck, where we poured water. Also, I once saw him during the distribution of soap,” Rozajac said.

Ramiz Avdovic and Iulian-Nicolae Vintila are on trial for crimes committed in “Viktor Bubanj” and the Central Prison in Sarajevo. They are charged with having participated in the establishment and maintenance of a system for the abuse of Serb civilians.

According to the charges, Avdovic was Commander of guards on the fifth floor of the Central Prison in Sarajevo and former “Viktor Bubanj” military barracks, while Vintila was a cook and guard in the former barracks.

Rozajac said that persons belonging to different ethnic groups were detained in the military barracks, but he was not sure whether all of them were civilians of if they were prisoners of war.  

The witness said several times that he did not remember if mistreatment or eventual taking away of detainees happened in “Viktor Bubanj”, adding that he did not notice injuries on their faces.

According to Rozajac’s testimony, a man named Besim was the Manager of the prison in “Viktor Bubanj”. He said that Besim, who was accompanied by his Deputy Zlatko Crncevic and Court Martial President Senad Kreho, visited detainees once a week.

“Kreho visited us most often. He always asked if everything was OK and if anybody mistreated us,” the witness said. 

Avdovic and Vintilla were originally charged under the same indictment as Besim Muderizovic, former Deputy Manager on the fifth floor of the District Prison and Commander of the military prison in “Viktor Bubanj”. Muderizovic died eight months after the beginning of the trial.  

Rozajac said that guards escorted detainees to other locations, where they performed labour, like fetching water and chopping firewood.

“I remember having seen Vintila standing next to a cauldron, while we were chopping wood for the kitchen. He brought us food in most cases,” the witness said.

Describing the living conditions, Rozajac said that detainees used to get food twice a day, that they bathed once a week and that they could receive medical assistance if needed.

“As far as the food is concerned, we had better meals than Sarajevo citizens, because we were given meals regularly,” the witness said.

Following the examination of the witness, Mirza Kovac, Defence attorney of the first indictee, said that he would give up on examining the remaining witnesses. He said that he would present material evidence and examine two court experts at the upcoming hearings.

“We have already contacted the witnesses, whom we proposed before, and invited them to come here and tell the truth. However, some of them are involved in other cases. Therefore, we are giving up on examining those remaining witnesses for moral reasons,” Kovac said.

Trial Chamber Chairwoman Zeljka Marenic said that she would leave a possibility for the Defence to invite those witnesses, in case it would change its mind.

The next hearing is scheduled for April 22.