Witnesses Describe Abuse of Trovrh Captives in Gorazde

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, and were detained in the municipal secretariat for internal affairs in Gorazde. They were allegedly taken to Ladjeva Stijena in the village of Kopaci, where they were killed.

Three witnesses who were held at the police station in Gorazde shared their stories regarding the Trovrh captives, who were also detained at the station.

Milivoje Carapic said Bosniak forces captured him in the village of Bucje in the municipality of Gorazde in July 1992. He said he and other civilians were taken to the internal affairs secretariat in Gorazde, where they were detained in cells.

He said the group of captives from Trovrh arrived in late August or early September 1992.

“When we saw them for the first time, they were tied up with wire…They beat them up one evening…Judging by their voices, Omer Kulenovic and Mirsad Bezdrob did it,” Carapic said. He said he could peek through a hole in the door.

Carapic said the captives from Trovrh were held in detention for more than ten days. He said he was told that they “had joined the Bosnian Army and left in the direction of Medjedja.”

Stanica Carapic, who was also held in detention at the police station, said the prisoners from Trovrh were brought at night and placed in other cells.

“They beat them. They forced a father to beat his son…I heard them beating them…They said, ‘Bosko, hit your son,’ but he didn’t want to hit him,” Carapic said. She said she thought the captives were held in detention for a maximum of seven days.

She said she heard later on that they “were thrown into the water near Ladjeva Stijena.”

Witness Momir Carapic said he was captured in Bucje and brought to the internal affairs secretariat in Gorazde. He said he saw and heard the arrival of the Trovrh captives, who were beaten up at night.

“One day they disappeared. It may have been on September 16, 17 or 18. They took us out in the yard in the morning. Mirso Bezdrob was there. He said, ‘We’re sorry for having beaten them. We said we would exchange them, but they said they didn’t want to join the Chetnik army,’” Carapic said.

The trial will continue on December 10.