Witness Recalls Surgery Without Anaesthesia

In a statement given in 1996 in Belgrade, Stolic said that he was imprisoned in Dretelj at the beginning of the war, where he was abused, beaten and taken to forced labour.

“I was imprisoned in the cell where there were other people. We were beaten every day by the members of HOS. Dida once beat me and asked me to confess that I was on the battle field, but I could not confess that since I was not, but I was doing my regular military service and I was in Germany,” the witness said.

A statement which was read out by Dzema Hasanagic, defence attorney of accused Edib Buljubasis, said that doctor in Dretelj performed surgery on his appendix with no anaesthesia.  The witness said that he went to doctor Zoran Hranilovic because of the pain in his abdomen and that he told him he would perform the surgery.

The statement said that three guards were holding Stolic, while “the doctor was cutting his stomach with no anaesthesia”.

“I was in pain and yelling. He cut the part of the intestine and waved it in front of me,” statement said. It also said that he was beaten by the guards after the surgery.

Witness said that, besides beatings, prisoners were abused in different ways every day, and that some of them were once forced to have sex with each other.

“I was once forced to run through the hangar in winter clothing. That was especially hard for me since it was very hot and I had the consequences from the wound,” statement said.

Defence attorney Hasanagic read out that Stolic said that Bozo Balaban was killed in Dretelj and that he heard that HOS members cut off his head and played football with it.

The Trial chamber asked the defendant what would he ask the witness if he was there, and Buljubasic said that it is difficult for him to ask the questions for someone who is not in the courtroom. But he said that he would ask who kicked Balaban’s head, why he did not mention Ivan Petrusic, and if he did some harm to him.

Marina Grubisic-Fejzic’s defence said that she would ask the witness if he knew the last name of Marina from Dretelj, where she came from, what she looked like, if she was an ordinary soldier and whether it is true that she did not guard the prisoners.

Buljubasic and Grubisic-Fejzic are charged along with Ivan Zelenika, Srecko Herceg and Ivan Medic for crimes in Dretelj camp.

The indictment says that Zelenika was an officer with the Croatian Defence Forces, Herceg was commander of the Dretelj camp, Buljubasic was his deputy, while Medic and Grubisic-Fejzic were guards.

Witness Samir Horozovic was also at the trial, but defendant Buljubasic said that this was not the Samir Horozovic he plans to examine. His defence attorney asked the court to help them find the real witness.

The trial continues on May 27.