Dronjak: Prison Conditions

At the trial for crimes committed in Drvar, a former leader of prisoner exchange with the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH, says that prisoners of war were “in bad shape” when they came from Kamenica detention camp for an exchange.

Suhret Fazlic, who testified for the State Prosecution at the trial of Ratko Dronjak, said that from 1993 to 1995 he was involved in the organisation of the exchange of prisoners of war of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, many of whom were held in Kamenica detention camp, near Drvar.

Fazlic served as the former President of the Commission for Exchange of Prisoners of War with the Fifth Corps of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH.

“I remember an exchange that happened in March 1995. There was a big group of people from Kamenica. The group consisted of young 19-year old men from the ABiH Fifth Corps. When they came, they were in bad shape. It was an excruciating situation. When they came out, they were exhausted and not shaved. Some of them were in underpants. They smelled badly…I spread my arms as I was powerless,” Fazlic said.

The State Prosecution charges Ratko Dronjak, former Commander and Manager of Kamenica detention camp and the Slavko Rodic school prison in Drvar, with having participated in torture, murder and other inhumane acts committed against non-Serb detainees.

Fazlic said that the exchanged ABiH members told him that Ratko Dronjak was Manager of the Kamenica detention camp and that many prisoners of war were mistreated during their stay in Drvar.

“After that we put pressure on the international community in order for it to check what was happening in Kamenica. I made a report, containing a list of all persons exchanged from Kamenica and determining that 12 people were dead when they were brought from Kamenica,” Fazlic said.

Milan Ivancevic, former member of the Commission for Negotiations and Exchange of Prisoners of War with the Second Krajina Corps of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS in Drvar, also testified for the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina at this hearing. He said that he “agreed exchanges as per a ‘one for one’ principle” with witness Fazlic.

Ivancevic said that ABiH prisoners of war were exchanged from the “Kamenica military prison”.

“The living conditions in the prison were horrible. It was an abandoned old school building. I just saw a fence and a field. I never went inside, but prisoners told me that the conditions were bad and not hygienic,” Ivancevic said.

Responding to State Prosecution’s questions, Ivancevic said that indictee Dronjak was Manager of “the prison in Kamenica”, adding that he was not responsible for the exchange of prisoners of war.

“We received orders for exchanges directly from the Main Headquarters of VRS, because they were the only ones who were competent for determining the circumstances for exchanges,” Ivancevic said.

The next hearing is due to be held on June 16 this year.