Prisoners Died After Abuse

Jovo Ilincic said he was detained in the school gym in Odzak in the spring of 1992, where he saw 700 to 750 prisoners. He added his wife and child previously escaped Novi Grad village.
 
“I was personally beaten by Tolic a couple of times, with his hands, he hit me with open palms on my ears in Odzak”, said the witness and added other guards also abused prisoners.
 
He described seeing prisoner Rade Tomanovic being brought into the gym by Tolic and other guards who tied him up to a poll and beat him. “Ferid hit him with a rifle on his head and Rade died that night”, the witness recalled.
 
Ilinicic said that prisoner Petar Maricic was taken from the gym by Zdenko Mikulic and that Petar was never seen again. One day, Ilincic said that Rade Dervenic was taken from the gym, beaten in the hall and died afterwards.
 
“Svetozar Dervenic called Ceto was in Strolit. He was hanged to dry in the shack and was castrated”, said Ilincic and added that he was then brought to die with his brother. When the Defence told the witness that Ceto wasn’t brought to Odzak to die, he said he couldn’t be sure.
 
The Prosecution charges Tolic, former member of the 102nd Odzak Brigade with the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, with having participated in the inhumane treatment of civilians, who were detained unlawfully in the school building and “Strolit” Factory in Odzak, as well as detention facilities in the construction material warehouse and the “Fric Pavlik” secondary school centre in Bosanski Brod, in the period from May to November 1992.
 
Ilincic said that he remained in Odzak until July 10, 1992, when he was taken to Novi Grad, where he and other prisoners were abused.
 
“Simo Cvetkovic was killed by Golubovic”, said Ilincic adding that Tolic was present at that time. The Defence said that in his previous statements, the witness never said Tolic was present during this event.
 
Ilincic said he was later taken to a warehouse in Bosanski Brod, from where prisoners were taken to dig trenches. He said some prisoners died, but could not recall their names.
 
According to Ilincic, prisoners were taken to the high school centre Fric Pavlik in Bosanski Brod.
 
“Mirko Pajic a teacher from Derventa gave a piece of paper to Red Cross members. Five minutes passed and Tolic, Ferid, Golubovic and a few others came in and said they would kill 20 prisoners unless we tell them who gave the paper”, said the witness and added Pajic was then beaten until he passed away.
 
The Defence said that in his previous statements, the witness didn’t mention being in the Fric Pavlik school, but Ilincic said he was and that he saw Pajic get beaten.
 
The trial continues on April 25.