Unauthorized Soldiers Illegally Entered Silos, Says Defense Witness

On the third day of his testimony, Ramiz Dupovac, the former secretary of the National Defense Secretariat, testified in defense of Mustafa Djelilovic.

Djelilovic, Fadil Covic, Mirsad Sabic, Nezir Kazic, Becir Hujic, Halid Covic, Serif Mesanovic and Nermin Kalember have been charged with the unlawful detention, inhumane treatment, and physical and mental suffering of detainees at Silos. They’ve also been accused of ordering prisoners to perform forced labour.

According to the indictment, at the time Djelilovic was the president of the municipal assembly, crisis committee and wartime presidency of the municipality of Hadzici, while the other defendants were members of military and police authorities, as well as detention camp managers. Kalember was a guard at Silos.

At today’s hearing, Dupovac said that after he left Hadzici in May 1992, the local authorities began mobilizing and establishing governing bodies. He said various armed formations started appearing in Pazaric and Tarcin during that period.

“The 77th Rijecka Brigade, which consisted of approximately 250 to 300 people, came. Also, a unit that belonged to Dzeki, which was made up of 20 or 30 people, then later on a squad named Zulfikar, and one named Seher, appeared…Attacks took place against individuals, including Serbs, who lived in the area. We had lots of problems with those units,” he said.

Dupovac said members of the Croatian Defense Forces used to force their way into Silos and mistreated and abused prisoners, despite objections by the prison guards.

“This is why a request was made to strengthen the exterior security of the prison,” Dupovac said.

He said Silos was under the management of police forces after the first month or two of its establishment. However, this changed later on.

Dupovac said he knew prisoners from the area were taken to other locations to perform forced labour.

Kazic’s defense attorney asked him whether the prisoners were forced to work outside of the zone of responsibility of the Bosnian Army’s 9th Mountain Brigade. Dupovac said this was the case, and said members of a civil protection unit also worked outside of that zone.

“Prisoners performed the same or similar labour as members of the civil protection unit,” Dupovac said. He said the prisoners didn’t perform labour on the frontlines.

Responding to questions by the defense teams, Dupovac said prior to the departure of the Bosniak population from Hadzici, the Serbian Democratic Party had requested that the municipality be divided.

“The Muslim and Croat population did not accept it. Attacks began 48 hours later,” Dupovac said.

The trial will continue on May 21.