Mistreatment of Civilians Couldnt Have Happened, Says Witness at Frimel Trial
This post is also available in: Bosnian
Frimel, the former commander of the Ivan Krndelj Squad of the Bosnian Army, has been charged with the unlawful arrest, physical abuse, and mental abuse of Serb civilians in the Hrasno neighbourhood of Sarajevo, which allegedly took place at the beginning of October 1992.Witness Branko Vrdoljak, a former member of the editorial team of the Squads bulletin, which was located in Hrasno, said Frimel prohibited the arrest of civilians.It was a small territory. We would have heard about the mistreatment of civilians, particularly if it had been done by the commander. It couldnt have possibly happened without us knowing. If he is a war criminal, I could be considered one too, Vrdoljak said.Vrdoljak recalled the burning of skyscrapers in Hrasno on October 5, 1992 and an operation called 11 Plavih (the 11 Blue Ones). He said they were on call at the headquarters.Mario commanded the operation, which lasted three days. He was at the headquarters. I wasnt his aide…He had to have been there, Vrdoljak said.Prosecutor Nedzad Corovic read several names to Vrdoljak, asking him whether he recognized them. Vrdoljak said he had heard the names, but didnt know them.When asked whether he knew what had happened to them, Vrdoljak said he didnt.The trial will continue on May 19.
