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Safet Sarajlic, former member of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH, said that he was detained, together with four comrades, in the Fire Brigade house in Prozor after having been captured by members of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO.
The witness said that, while he was held in the Fire Brigade house, where he spent about 24 hours in late March 1993, Maric hit him with a baseball bat, his legs and hands.
“I was taken out for examination six or seven times. I was beaten up six or seven time,” the witness said, adding that other persons too beat him.
The witness said that Maric was dressed in black uniform and had a black hat, identifying him in the courtroom.
“How can I not recognise him? He cannot grow so old that I would not be able to recognise him. His eyes are the same,” the witness said, adding that his eyes were blue.
As he said, he pointed to Maric on photographs, which were shown to him during the investigation. “The Prosecutor said that I was right,” he said.
The witness said that Semir Hanic and Mustafa Mustafic were among the people, who were beaten up, adding that he was captured with them and detained in the Fire Brigade house during the same period.
According to the charges, Nikola Maric, also known as Nidzo, former member of HVO, participated in murders, torture and other inhumane acts in the Prozor area from November 1992 to October 1993.
“Nidzo was by far the worst person in the Fire Brigade house. He did not look strong. Had I met him somewhere else, I would have been able to knock him down easily,” said second Prosecution witness Semir Hanic.
He said that Nidzo, who had a hat and black uniform, tied him to a bed and then beat him “from my neck to my knees” with baseball and police bats, as well as hand grenade launcher.
“Those beatings… they were something that you cannot forget your whole life,” said the witness, who was not able to recognize indictee Maric in the courtroom.
The witness said that, at some stage he was trying to find Nidzo in order to kill him. After he had said that, indictee Maric asked the witness whether he should evacuate his family, but the witness responded: “No, you are not worth it”.
Third State Prosecution witness Mustafa Mustafic said that Nikola Nidzo was the most brutal person when beating people in the Fire Brigade house.
“I remembered at that time that they called him Nikola Nidz. I was hit with a baseball bat most of the time,” he said, adding that Nidzo had a hat and black uniform.
The trial is due to continue on December 11.
