Throwing War Gas into the Prison

Zajko Bajramovic said he was arrested on June 10, 1992, when he was told to come to the police station in Bileca. When he got there, he saw between 10 and 15 Muslims.

“Some of them had visible marks of physical abuse,” Bajramovic said, adding that new ones were brought, so there were between 55 and 60 of them eventually.

Bajramovic mentioned they were transferred to the military barracks, where he stayed for seven days, and then to the old prison in the vicinity of the police station. As he said, the prisoners were mostly guarded by reserve policemen.

“I remember a group of men came in the afternoon or evening some time in August, in late August 1992, and threw war gas into the prison. We did not know what it was. When they began suffocating, we realized it was war gas,” the witness recalled.

He said they then opened fire through one or two side windows and that three detainees were lightly wounded. One of the bullets hit electric installations, so they no longer had electricity.

“While running, one person said he recognized police commander Duka among them,” Bajramovic said.

Miroslav Duka, former commander of police in Bileca, has been charged with Goran Vujovic, former chief of the public safety station in Bileca, and Zeljko Ilic, former policeman, with crimes committed in that town.

Vujovic and Duka are charged with having enabled and organized the detention of Bosniak and Croat civilians in the public safety station and students’ dormitory in Bileca, where detainees were killed, tortured and abused. Ilic is charged with having participated in physical and mental abuse.

Witness Bajramovic said he was not physically abused in the old prison, but it was known to him that a group of people was. As he said, a duty policeman would call out their names before they were taken to the police building.

He mentioned he heard moaning and saw signs of violence on those persons when they returned to the prison.

The witness said he knew defendant Goran Vujovic, adding he saw him during his examination at the police station.

“I spoke to him briefly. He was a good friend of mine,” Bajramovic said.

The trial will continue on June 30.