Constantly Beaten and Mistreated

Testifying at the trial for war crimes in the “Sabirni centar” detention camp in Batkovic, Bijeljina municipality, a Prosecution witness says that he was “constantly” beaten and mistreated during the first ten days.

Husejin Kurbasic explained that he was captured, as member of the Army of Bosnia at Herzegovina, at the Brcko battlefield in January 1993 and deported to a detention camp in Batkovic, where he spent the next six months.

The witness said that, after having been brought to Batkovic, a Ljujic mistreated and beat him constantly during the first ten days. As he said, nobody else abused him.

Crimes committed in “Sabirni centar” detention camp are charged upon Djoko Pajic, Petar Dmitrovic, Djordje Krstic and Ljubisa Misic. The indictment charges them with having beaten and physically mistreated prisoners of war, the wounded and civilians, who were brought to Batkovic detention camp during 1992 and 1993.

The Bijeljina District Prosecution presented the witness with a statement he gave to the Cantonal Prosecution in Tuzla in 2010. In the mentioned statement he said that, in addition to Ljujic, Ljubomir Misic also beat him.

Kurbasic responded by saying that he signed the mentioned statement, but he said that he did not remember that Misic was involved in his beating.

“Other detainees told me that the last name of the man, who beat me, was Ljujic,” Kurbasic said, adding that he did not see Misic during his stay in the detention camp.

Responding to the Defence’s questions, the witness said that he did not know who managed the detention camp in Batkovic and that he had never heard anybody giving orders to mistreated detainees.

The trial is due to continue on November 25.