Trial of Prisoners in Tarcin

State Prosecution witness Mladen Veseljak said that, in his capacity as judge with the District Court Martial, he came to the Tarcin area in late March 1993 and found out that some prisoners should be processed.

“I was told that a certain number of Serb prisoners were there and that the Serbian Democratic Party had armed them with military weapons. Also, I was told that there was an intention to exchange them, but it was not possible until they had been tried,” he said.

He said that a colleague of his then filed proposed indictments, while he scheduled main trials.

“We transformed a school classroom into a courtroom. We processed about 15 people at that time. The trial lasted two days. I think that all of them were relatively young people,” said Veseljak, adding that “all of them admitted having committed crimes”.

When asked by Prosecutor Zorica Djurdjevic if those persons had attorneys at those trials, the witness answered negatively, adding that they personally said that they did not need an attorney.

“I rendered a decision ordering them into custody…A maximal sentence for crimes for which they were tried was three years. I know that, upon our return to Zenica, they transferred all those cases to our regular procedures, but we did not send them verdicts, because they said that they did not want to receive copies,” he said, adding that it was not known to him whether those persons had served their sentences or not.

When asked by the Prosecutor whether those persons had warrants, depriving them of liberty, the witness said that such warrants were not issued for prisoners of war.  

Veseljak testified at the trial for crimes committed in “Silos”, “Krupa” military barracks and “9. maj” school, with which Mustafa Djelilovic, Fadil Covic, Mirsad Sabic, Nezir Kazic, Becir Hujic, Halid Covic, Serif Mesanovic and Nermin Kalember are charged upon.

According to the charges, Hujic was Manager and Deputy Manager of “Silos”, just like Halid Covic. Mesanovic was one of the Deputy Managers of “Silos” and Manager of a detention camp in “Krupa” military barracks, Kalember was a guard “Silos”. The others were members of civil, military and police authorities.

Veseljak said that, in January 1993 he came to the Tarcin area in order to examine suspected members of the members of the Army of BiH, who participated in a rebellion. Those soldiers, as he said, were in “Silos”, which was used as military-disciplinary detention unit.

When asked by the Trial Chamber if he saw anybody else except those soldiers, Veseljak said he did not.

The trial is due to continue tomorrow, July 18.