Slapped Over Bread Slices in Silos

“The food was terrible and I was tempted to steal a slice of bread, and I did, because hunger is hunger… The guard saw me do it and called out to me. He slapped me then. Over a slice of bread, he slapped me good,” recalled Ilijasevic in his testimony for the prosecution.

He said he was arrested in the summer of 1993, and after that he spent some time in several prison facilities. He said that on his arrival to the Silos, he was put into one of the cells.

“When we entered the cell, we were horrified to see where we are going to sleep and spend our time. There were wooden planks on the floor, and in several places we saw blood on the walls and concrete,” he said.

The prosecution charges Mustafa Djelilovic, Fadil Covic, Mirsad Sabic, Nezir Kazic, Halid Covic, Serif Mesanovic, Becir Hujic and Nermin Kalember with committing crimes against Serbian and Croatian prisoners in the Silos camp, the Krupa barracks and the May 9 school in Hadzici.

According to the indictment, Hujic was the warden, but also deputy warden of the Silos, and the same position was held by Halid Covic. Kalember was a guard at the Silos, while others were members of civilian, military and police authorities.

Ilijasevic said that he stayed in the Silos for about month and a half, after which he was moved to Krupa. During his stay in the Krupa barracks, he was taken with other prisoners to do various labour.

After his stay in Krupa, said Ilijasevic, he was returned to the Silos. He was released from captivity in early September 1993.

Another witness, Niko Pejak, said he was captured and brought to the Silos when the conflict between Croatian Defence Council and Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina erupted. On arrival, he was put into one of the cells with several other men.

“We sat down, four of us, beaten and scared. On the same day, a man from Kresevo was brought in. He had two small wounds on the head. Later he told us he was a member of the Croatian Defence Council, captured at the front line and beaten there, but in the Silos as well,” said Pejak.

The witness said he learnt in captivity that in the facility there were imprisoned Serbs and members of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well. He left the Silos after 50 days of imprisonment.

The trial is scheduled to resume on September 12.