Former State Security Service Official Unaware of Silos Abuses

The witness testified in defense of Fadil Covic, the former chief of the public safety station of Hadzici. Covic, Mustafa Djelilovic, Mirsad Sabic, Nezir Kazic, Becir Hujic, Halid Covic, Serif Mesanovic and Nermin Kalember have been charged with committing crimes in the municipality of Hadzici. The indictment alleges that they were members of military and police formations, as well as managers or guards in detention camps.

They have been charged with the unlawful detention, inhumane treatment, physical abuse and mental anguish of detainees. They also allegedly took detainees to various locations to perform forced labour.

Defense witness Jozo Jozic used to work at the State Security Service (SDB). He said the SDB was disorganized at the beginning of the war, as Serb officials had left some important posts.

Jozic said that during the war the SDB was tasked with collecting data on the plans of enemy forces, while a separate section dealt with documenting war crimes committed by all sides of the war.

He said the SDB obtained numerous findings on the efforts of the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) and the Yugoslav National Army (JNA) to arm the Serb population in April and May 1992.

According to Jozic, Serbs were being armed at a greater rate than other ethnic groups in the area.

Jozic said two of his colleagues remained in the Pazaric and Tarcin area and sent information to the SDB section in Sarajevo through official letters and other forms of communication possible at the time.

“I didn’t hear about Silos at the time. I don’t know that happened, given that I performed the responsibilities of the person in charge. I only heard about it towards the end of the war, or after the war,” Jozic said. He said he heard later on that “Juka’s units” passed by and beat prisoners in the Silos detention facility.

Jozic said he reacted to injustices he was informed about, citing the example of Danielj Buljan, a captured member of the Croatian Defense Council who was eventually relocated to the United States.

Responding to a question by defense attorney Milorad Rasevic, Jozic said he didn’t know that Buljan had thanked defendant Nezir Kazic, as he wasn’t familiar with individual cases.

Jozic said he went to Ljubljana in 1993 and worked at the Bosnian Embassy with defendant Fadil Covic. He said Covic was a good worker and a principled man.

Witness Kemal Rizvo was cross-examined at today’s hearing. He was presented with a video recording depicting a man named Reuf Tufo, whom the witness knew. In the video, Tufo said he personally decided that Silos would be used as a detention facility. He acknowledged that the conditions in the facility were bad, but said it was the only available building.

“This is absolutely true. I didn’t know that the wartime presidency made a decision to establish Silos,” Rizvo said.

He said the crisis committee and wartime presidency acted as a collective body, adding that defendant Mustafa Djelilovic “was the first among equals.” According to the charges, Djelilovic was the president of the crisis committee and, later on, the wartime presidency.

Rizvo said he knew defendant Mirsad Sabic well. He said he was a respected policeman who participated in activities to mediate peace as well as prisoner exchanges.

He said Becir Hujic was appointed the manager of the Silos detention facility because of his education, also adding that nobody could refuse an appointment at that time.

The trial will continue on February 18.