Witness Describes Prisoner Beatings at Glogovac Trial

The state prosecution has charged Glogovac, a former military police officer with the Doboj operational group of the Ninth Battalion of the First Krajiski Corps of the Bosnian Serb Army, with causing severe physical and mental suffering to civilians and prisoners of war.

The injured parties were allegedly detained in the basement of the Franjo Herljevic hunting lodge in Kamenica in the municipality of Zavidovici from June-August 1992. Glogovac allegedly acted in collaboration with other members of the Bosnian Serb Army.

According to the indictment, Glogovac beat detainees Ahmedin Memcic, Zuhdija Memcic, Besir Softic and others. He kicked them and punched them until they lost consciousness. The beatings allegedly occurred several times a day.

Zuhdija Memcic testified at today’s hearing. Memcic said he and his neighbour, Ahmedin, were detained at the Franjo Hrjlevic hunting lodge in Kamenica in the municipality of Zavidovici on July 2, 1992.

“We were blindfolded. It was dark, you couldn’t see anything…They took us downstairs, into a basement. Novica Mitrovic, Dragan Glogovac and a policeman named Zeljko came on the following morning. They beat us, hit us – all three of them – on that morning. One kicked us with his boots, Novica beat us with a rifle butt and this one [Glogovac] had a baton. He hit beat us on our backs and ribs with the baton,” Memcic said.

Memcic identified Glogovac in the courtroom.

Memcic said the defendant returned with two other men a few hours later and beat them again. Memcic said Glogovac cursed them and hit his ears.

“When I fell down, I couldn’t feel where he was hitting me, and with what. They beat Ahmedin as well. There was blood on the wall…They came again just before dawn. They beat us so hard we couldn’t get up from the floor. The worst thing was being hit in the stomach, because you couldn’t breathe. I remember well that Glogovac forced me to do push-ups, while kicking me in the stomach with his boot,” Memcic said.

Memcic said he was exchanged in August 1992.

Salim Muhic, the former president of the exchange commission in Zavidovici, also testified at today’s hearing. He described an exchange that took place in August 1992.

“We had approximately ten people to exchange. The exchange was done on a railway bridge in the village of Viniste, in the municipality of Zepce. We took them to lunch and then to the medical service to see a doctor. The security service then took them over,” Muhic said.

Muhic told the court he didn’t speak to the men. He said he couldn’t see any injuries on them, because they were dressed.

The trial will continue on December 10.