Former Gorazde Police Chief Says He Had No Information on Trovrh Prisoners

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.

According to the charges, the detainees were captured on August 21, 1992. After that they were detained in the municipal secretariat for internal affairs in Gorazde. They were then taken to Ladjeva Stijena in the village of Kopaci, where they were killed.

Ibro Merkez, the former chief of the public safety station in Gorazde, testified at today’s hearing. Merkez said he was wounded at the beginning of August 1992. He said after his stay at the hospital, he was sent home to continue his treatment.

“Nobody came to me to inform me on anything, including the people from Trovrh,” Merkez said.

Merkez said the incident in Trovrh happened between August 20-30, 1992. He said he returned to the station at the beginning of October 1992.

Merkez said a soldier handed a group of people over to him one night and told him to find accommodation for them. He said those people came from Budje, not Trovrh.

“I didn’t know what to do with them. There were no premises for holding people in detention in the police station in Gorazde. Then we opened up the garages and took them inside,” Merkez said.

Merkez said civil police had no authority over any prisoners during the war.

Commenting on documents presented to him by the prosecution, Merkez said he had never seen them before. He said he had “never seen the attendance log.”  

The trial will continue on November 26.