Detained Because They Were Serbs

At the trial for crimes committed in Hadzici municipality the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, BiH, reads statements by witnesses, who said that detainees were beaten up in “Silos” detention camp.

In a statement given in 2007 witness Andjelko Saran, who died this year, described the way he was detained in “Silos” in mid-1992. As he said, a short time after his arrival the beating of detainees began.
 
“One could hear screams for the whole night. Our cell’s turn came soon,” said the witness in his statement, which was read by Prosecutor Zorica Djurdjevic.
 
The witness said that he was once beaten up and that no criminal proceeding was conducted against him, “because there was no reason for that”.
 
“I think that I was detained only because I was a Serb,” the witness said.
 
The Prosecutor read a statement given by late witness Jovo Lalusic, who too said that he was never informed about the reasons for his detention in “Silos”, but he considered that it was done, because he was a Serb.  
 
In his statement Lalusic said that guard Kalember “hit me a few times”, while he was on his way back from the toilet, adding that the guard used to beat other detainees as well.
 
Mustafa Djelilovic, Fadil Covic, Mirsad Sabic, Nezir Kazic, Becir Hujic, Halid Covic, Serif Mesanovic and Nermin Kalember are on trial for crimes committed in “Silos”, “Krupa” military barracks and “9. maj” school building.
 
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” barracks, while Kalember was a guard in “Silos”. The other indictees were members of the civil, military and police authorities.
 
A statement given by third witness, Branislav Glavas, who died in 2011, alleges that he was detained in “Silos” for about three-and-a-half years. He said that Becir Hujic was Manager of this detention camp.
 
“In 1994 or 1995 I was taken in front of a judge, when my trial was organized. I think that, in essence, the trial was organised in order to hide the reasons for holding us in detention for so long from the general public,” Glavas said.
 
The Prosecution of BiH then also read a statement by Dusan Lojanica, who was not able to appear in court due to his old age. In 2011 Lojanica said that, during the war he was detained in a school building in Pazaric, “Krupa” military warehouse and “Silos”. At that time he said that he heard that Becir Hujic beat his son up.
 
The date of the next hearing will be set at a later stage.