Local Justice Guso and Suljagic: Visibly Scared Prisoner
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Faruk Gasi, former Commander of the Reconnaissance Squad with the 108th Knights Brigade of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH, said that he found out about the capture of Radenkovic upon his return from the front lines on August 3, 1994.
Military operations were conducted on that day. In the morning I heard that one member of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, was captured, but I did not know who it was. It was only in the evening on that day that I found out that the prisoners name was Branko Radenkovic, whom some members of my family had known from before the war, Gasi said.
Gasi told the court that he visited Radenkovic in a detention unit in Maoca, near Brcko two days later. He said that he spoke to him and noticed that he was visibly scared.
I saw that his right ankle was swollen, but I did not notice any other visible injuries or signs of physical mistreatment on his body. I gave him a few packs of cigarettes and told the military policeman, who guarded him, that nobody should mistreat him anymore, Gasi said, adding that he did not see Radenkovic again after that.
The indictment alleges that Nusret Guso and Mirsad Suljagic, former members of the 108th Brigade of ABiH, participated in the physical abuse of Branko Radenkovic in Brcko on August 3, 1994. It further alleges that Guso and Suljagic kicked Radenkovic several times and beat him with sticks and examined him about VRS positions and murders of Bosniaks in Brcko.
Second Prosecution witness Ismet Glodzic, former Assistant Commander for Intelligence Affairs with the 108th Brigade of ABiH, said that he did not know whether Radenkovic was mistreated during the course of his examination.
I visited Radenkovic in the detention unit on the second or third day after his capture. I spoke to him because we wanted to obtain some military data about morale, arms and positions of VRS in that area. However, he did not tell us anything new, so the conversation was a very brief one, Glodzic said.
Glodzic said that Radenkovic was scared during the course of the conversation, but he did not have visible injuries.
The trial is due to continue on May 10.M.A.—————————————————————————————————————
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