Witnesses Describe Abuse of Civilians at Kotor-Varos Prison

Djukic was a reserve policeman with the Kotor-Varos public safety station as well as a prison guard at a detention facility located behind the Basic Court of Kotor-Varos.

Djukic is charged with participating in the murder, physical and mental abuse, and inhumane treatment of Croat and Bosniak civilians. Djukic allegedly acted in collaboration with members of the army and police.

At today’s hearing, Macinkovic told the court that he lived in Kotor-Varos before the war. He said he was arrested and taken to the police station on June 11, 1992. He said he was then transferred to a prison behind the basic court.

According to Macinkovic, during the course of his detention he was beaten and detained in a 3×4 meter room with 37 other prisoners.

“When I was brought in, four guards were there. They treated us in a very correct manner and didn’t mistreat us. Some people who came from outside, they used to beat us. They would use all sorts of objects to beat us. They would beat us with wooden bars and other objects they found in the prison,” said Macinkovic.

Macinkovic said other guards came later on, and that Djukic was one of them. Macinkovic knew Djukic – they worked at the same company before the war.

“He [Djukic] mistreated and beat me frequently. He once entered the cell drunk, took me in front of a room and beat me with his legs and pistol. The pistol fired, but luckily the bullet didn’t hit me. Another guard then came out and ordered him to take me back to the cell. When I went inside, everybody was shocked, because they thought he had killed me. Several prisoners were beaten to death in the prison,” Macinkovic said.

At this hearing prosecutor Milan Rosic read a statement given by protected witness S2, who said that he was captured in Kotor-Varos in 1992.

In a statement given to the State Investigation and Protection Agency, S2 had said that he was beaten and tortured in the prison behind the basic court several times. According to the statement, Djukic was one of the guards who mistreated him.

In his statement, S2 said that soldiers sexually tortured him and his cousin. He said the soldiers forced them to have oral sex with each other, and with other prisoners. He said that because they weren’t able to, they were beaten with rifles.

Trial chamber chairwoman Snjezana Kudric asked the prosecutor to obtain an explanation from the state court as to why S2 had been granted protective measures. She said that without this explanation, she couldn’t accept S2’s statement as evidence.

The trial will continue on March 10.