Cook With no Powers in Prison

During the cross-examination expert Nehru Ganic said that Vintila, as cook in the squad in “Viktor Bubanj”, could not affect the amount of food and the quality of accommodation of prisoners.

“The squad or the troops have no jurisdiction over the needs in military detention. The formation which ordered the establishment of detention is in charge of those needs, therefore we speak about brigade level,” Ganic said.

He explained that Vintila had only distributed food, but that he was not obliged to provide it, and that he could not influence how many people were imprisoned in some room or who would be imprisoned.

Expert Ganic started his testimony on July 1, when he said that Ramiz Avdovic was not appointed to any duty which would bring command responsibility.

Avdovic and Vintila are charged with participating in the establishment and maintenance of a system of abuse of Serb prisoners between June and late November 1992.

The indictment describes Avdovic as a guard commander and Vintila as cook and guard in the former barracks.

Prosecutor Dzevad Muratbegovic also questioned the expert and objected Ganic’s findings, pointing out that it was not relevant since it “dealt with command responsibility of Avdovic, who was not charged for command responsibility”.

The Prosecutor asked Ganic whether Avdovic or other members of the squad could refuse a certain order or appointment, and Ganic replied that “there are no resignations in the army”.

“In the army there are orders which have to be carried out except when it is criminal act. Subordinates can only make a complaint, but that does not mean that he won’t have to carry out the command,” the expert explained.

Ganic added that he concluded in his analysis that staff at the “Viktor Bubanj” was “inadequately trained and inexperienced”, and that it “seemed to him that Mudizerovic did not have absolute control”.

Mudizerovic was charged together with Avdic and Vintila, but he died during the course of the trial.

The trial continues on July 15.