Trial for Kladanj Crimes Begins

According to the charges, the indictees participated in the unlawful detention of the Serb population, inhumane treatment and torture from May 1992 to July 1993.

Safet Mujcinovic, former Commander of the Police Station in Stupari, and Selman Busnov, former Chief of the Public Safety Station in Kladanj, are charged with having failed to prevent or punish their subordinates.

Zijad Hamzic, former Commander of the Territorial Defence Company in Stupari, who later became Commander of the Stupari Territorial Defence Battalion, and Ramiz Halilovic, active policeman with the Police Station in Stupari and former Commander of the Military Police Section in Stupari, are charged with having participated in physical and mental abuse.

Prior to the killing of five members of the Territorial Defence in Kladanj, Serb civilians were allowed to go to the Sekovici municipality area. After that they were not allowed to move, while civilians were detained in the school building in Stupari under an excuse by the indictees that they were detained for the sake of their own safety.

Safet Mujcinovic announced to the detainees that they were “detained, because they are Serbs”. 109 civilians of both sexes aged between 7 and 80 were held in the school building.

Nusret Muhic, former Chief of the Group for Preventing and Fighting Crimes with the Public Safety Station in Kladanj, as well as reserve policemen Nedzad Hodzic and Hariz Habibovic, and military policeman Osman Gogic are charged with having examined the unlawfully detained civilians.

Kahro Vejzovic, former member of police, who was accompanied by other men, examined Ladimir Dragic, hitting him on his head with his fists and stepping on him and jumping all over his body. Following the mistreatment, Dragic committed suicide.

In his introductory statement Prosecutor Dragan Corlija announced that, by presenting material evidence and about 60 witnesses, he would prove the functions, actions and responsibility of the indictees.

“We shall prove that those civilians were held in inhumane conditions, that they did not get enough food and that they lost much weight. We shall prove that Mujcinovic made the decision about their detention,” Corlija said.

The indictment also describes other inhumane treatments committed by the nine men, including beating with a hammer, hitting with a wooden hoe, pulling teeth out and forcing injured parties to swallow them, threatening with scissors and hitting people on their genitals.

The Defence of the nine indictees did not present their introductory statements at this stage. 

The trial is due to continue on August 30.