Mejakic et al: Painful Memories

Protected Prosecution witness K010, who has testified via video link with his face blurred, claims that indictee Dusan Fustar was superior to guards in Keraterm detention camp, where detainees were brutally maltreated every day.

“Having in mind my and other detainees’ suffering during his shifts, I can say that Fustar’s guard shift was the worst of all in Keraterm. When his shift was approaching, we would say ‘Here comes Fustar’s shift. How shall we survive the night?’,” said witness K010, who was brought to Keraterm detention camp on June 11, 1992.

The Prosecution of BiH charges Fustar, Zeljko Mejakic, Momcilo Gruban and Dusko Knezevic with having participated in the murder, beating, rape and torture of Bosniaks and Croats detained in Omarska and Keraterm detention camps in 1992.

“A day or two after my arrival at the detention camp, I saw Fustar. Later on other detainees told me that his name was Dusko. He was a big man, about 180cm tall. He was balding and had a moustache. When he visited the detention camp, he usually wore camouflage uniform. I think he worked as a mechanic in Prijedor before the war,” said K010, and added that the guards told him that Fustar was “a guard shift commander”.

The indictment alleges that, from May 24 to August 30, 1992 Fustar was one of the guard shift commanders in Keraterm detention camp and that he “was superior to and had real control over the work and behaviour of the guards”.

In the course of the direct examination, witness K010 said that, during his detention in Keraterm camp, he was beaten two times during “Fustar’s shift”.

“The first time, guard Kondic picked me up from hall number 2, in which I was detained, and he took me to room number 5. There was no light in there. A few guards beat me by hitting me in my back and kidney area. The same guard and Zigic also beat me in front of hall number 2, because I gave some bread through the window to the people who were locked in hall number 3, as they were hungry and thirsty.

Fustar was standing close to me while this was happening,” K010 recalled.

In February 2005, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) sentenced Zoran Zigic, also known as Ziga, to 25 years’ imprisonment for crimes committed in Omarska and Keraterm.

The name of Dragan Kondic is mentioned in the ICTY indictment against Dusko Sikirica et al, charging him with crimes committed in Keraterm.

During cross examination, witness K010 answered most questions from Fustar’s attorney Jovan Ostojic by saying “I do not remember” or “I do not know”. The witness gave the same answer when the attorney asked him to provide the names of the guards who were in Fustar’s guard shift.

Attorney Ostojic reminded the witness of his statements given in 1994 and 2001, in which the witness mentioned the names of the guards.

“I cannot remember exactly what I said in those old statements. However, what I have said today is true. I I have come here to tell the truth and I must admit that the recollections are painful. Maybe my previous statements were wrong, but I was under stress at the time,” K010 explained.

Witness K010 claims to have been transferred from Keraterm detention camp to Trnopolje on August 5, 1992 and to have been released on August 11 the same year.

The trial is due to continue on November 14, 2007 when the Prosecution of BiH will present material evidence.