Former Gorazde Police Deny Receiving Captured Prisoners of War
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The district prosecution in Eastern Sarajevo has charged Muhamed Adzem, Omer Ugljesa, Senad Halilovic and Suljo Karkelja, former members of the Bosnian Army, with participating in the murder of seven captured members of the Bosnian Serb Army from Trovrh on September 17, 1992.
Former police officer Arif Sadikovic testified at today’s hearing. He said he saw the Trovrh captives in the building of the public safety station in Gorazde during the summer of 1992.
“I passed through the corridor. I saw them standing. They asked for water and I gave them some…That was the only time I saw them,” Sadikovic said.
He said he served as a police officer in the old post office building on the left bank of the River Drina, but was passing by the public safety station in Gorazde on that day and entered the building.
Sadikovic said he had gotten information that Serb citizens from Bucje in the municipality of Gorazde were held in the detention premises during 1992, the first year of the war.
Other duty police officers who worked with Sadikovic also testified at today’s hearing.
Witness Smajo Salihovic said he was stationed on the premises of the public safety station in Gorazde, but didn’t do any work. He said “nothing functioned at the time.”
He said he didn’t perform the tasks of a duty officer from May to October 1992. He said he may have acted as a replacement “perhaps towards the end of October.”
Salihovic said Serb citizens from Bucje were detained in that period and were kept on isolated premises for security reasons. He said there were no prisoners of war or official prisons.
The prosecution presented this witness with a document issued on September 17, 1992. The document indicates that prisoners of war had been handed over to the defendants and another person. The document was signed by “duty policeman S. Salihovic.”
“I have already seen that document. This is a fraud and prank…I didn’t write this text. I neither handed them over nor saw them,” Salihovic said. He said the signature did resemble his, but said it might have been falsified.
Witness Adil Mujezinovic said he worked as an occasional duty police officer at the public safety station in Gorazde from May to October 1992.
He said apart from Serbs from Bucje, he didn’t see any other prisoners in the public safety station in Gorazde during that period of time.
The prosecution presented Mujezinovic with a duty service report for September 17 and 18, 1992. The report indicated that injured parties were handed over to the military police. The report was signed by “duty policeman Adil Mujezinovic.”
“I assert that this is not my signature,” Mujezinovic said.
He said Salihovic performed the tasks of a duty policeman, but not with him.
The trial will continue on October 29.
