From Imprisonment to Frontline

Milivoje Covic, who was arrested and detained in 1992, described how he was taken from detainment centres in the territory of Hadzici to other locations to do hard labour. He described how in January 1993 he was taken from the Krupa barracks to Hrasnica, and from there taken daily to dig trenches.
 
“Sometimes they abused us in the trenches, because over there police handed us over to the guards. Once they took me to the bunker where I was mentally abused. I was once beaten while we were in a house,” he said.
 
Mustafa Djelilovic, Fadil Covic, Mirsad Sabic, Nezir Kazic, Becir Hujic, Halid Covic, Serif Mesanovic and Nermin Kalember are charged with crimes against civilians and prisoners of war in the Silos camp and Krupa barracks and primary school May 9.
 
According to the indictment, Hujic was warden and deputy warden of Silos, and the same positions were taken up by Halid Covic. Mesanovic was one of the deputy wardens in the Silos and warden in Krupa barracks, Kalember was a guard in the Silos. The others were representatives of the civilian, military and police authorities.
 
The witness said that in April 1993 he was returned from Hrasnica to the territory of Hadzici, where he was held in several detainment facilities until 1995. In June 1995, he was taken to Sarajevo, where, he said, he was wounded while he was doing hard labour.
 
Speaking about the situation in the territory of Tarcin immediately before the war broke out, the witness said that in his village, in which only Serbs lived, every house received weapons.
 
“Each house in the village had guns. It was given out by Lazar Krstic, so that we could defend ourselves if anyone attacked us, but we did not hide that we had it,” said Covic, adding that he handed over his weapon before he was arrested.
 
Testifying about his stay in the Silos and Krupa camps, he said that guards did not beat him, but that he heard it happened to other prisoners. After three years of imprisonment, the witness was exchanged in the autumn of 1995.
 
Covic testified via video-link from the United States.
 
The trial will resume on October 23.