Jumped on Detainees’ Backs in High Heels

Sreto Pavlovic said that he once saw a female person, whom other military policemen addressed as Indira, in a corridor of the “Polet” stadium.

“I heard them call her by her name several times. (…) Her body shape was different from Manda’s. I saw Manda bringing food to women several times,” Pavlovic said.

He said that several women were among military policemen of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, at the stadium. Besides Indira and Manda, he mentioned women named Ankica, “Sabinu, the medicine lady,” and Rukija.

“There were several policewomen. (…) Indira was blonde. She wore camouflage uniform. I did not notice that she did any work. I heard that she would order a detainee to lie on the floor, put high heels on and jump on him,” Petrovic said.

The witness said that, after having been captured in May 1992, he was detained in the police building in Brod and that he was transferred to the “Polet” stadium basement in June. He said that he stayed there until September 6, 1992.

Indira Kameric, former member of the 101st Bosanski Brod Brigade of the HVO, is charged with having participated in the torture of Serb and Bosniak civilians and prisoners of war, who were held in the police building and at “Polet” stadium in 1992.
The indictment alleges that, acting in collaboration with other HVO members, Kameric participated in the abuse of detainee Jovo Dujic by hitting him with a metal stick and stepping and jumping on him while wearing high heels.

When asked whether he heard about her jumping in high heels, while he was still at “Polet” stadium or after having been exchanged, witness Petrovic said that he thought that he heard about it from other detainees.

The Defence presented the witness with six statements given to investigative bodies in the period from 1993 to 2010, in which he did not mention that Indira used to wear high heels when jumping on detainees’ backs.

“I am saying that I heard about it. It does not have to be true,” the witness said.

Petrovic said that some men once beat him with a baton at “Polet” stadium.

The trial is due to continue on May 22.