Witness Describes Severe Mistreatment of Mostar Detainees by Bosnian Army
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In a statement she gave to the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) in 2014, Dragica Gakic said two Bosnian Army soldiers locked her and her husband Anto in the basement of a house in Potoci on June 30, 1993. She said they were then taken to Meke in the municipality of Mostar.
“Eno Curic was the person in charge. Hecim was with him. People were subjected to severe physical and mental mistreatment in that place. They did not mistreat me and my husband,” Gakic said.
Gakic said they were transported to the Djuro Salaj cotton mill by truck to be used as human shields ten days later. She said they spent the entire day at the cotton mill and spent the night on the street. Two days later, Gakic said, they were taken to a school building in Potoci.
“Stanislav Kresic was with me in detention. They mistreated him more than others. Zeljka Zovko was with me. She was bedridden. She said she was bedridden because they had mistreated her and her husband,” Gakic said.
Defendants Enes Curic, Ibrahim Demirovic, Mehmed Kaminic, Samir Kreso and Hebib Copelj have been charged with participating in the detention of Croat civilians, who were subjected to severe physical and mental mistreatment from June to December 1993.
According to the charges, Curic was a member of the 49th Mountain Brigade of the Bosnian Army and the manager of detention facilities in Potoci. Demirovic was the commander of the 47th Mountain Brigade. Kreso was the chief of the medical corps of the unit active in the Bijelo Polje area, while Copelj and Kaminic were members of the Bosnian Army.
Demirovic has also been charged with an incident of rape in Potoci.
During today’s hearing the state prosecution included a set of material evidence in the case file. The documents referred to the declaration and cessation of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and wartime mobilisation. The material evidence also included Red Cross certificates on the registration of civilians.
The trial will continue on March 30.
