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Ekrem Ibracevic, the former commander of the military security section of the Territorial Defence Municipal Headquarters in Srebrenik, is charged with committing crimes against Serb civilians in Rapatnica. He is on trial with former military policemen Faruk Smajlovic and Sejdalija Covic.
Blazen Todic said he was taken in for questioning several times during his detention, and beaten each time. Todic said Ibracevic was the first person who questioned him.
“He said he came from Belgrade to defend his people,” Todic said.
Todic described a beating he experienced along with fellow prisoner Lazar Stanisic.
“A man had a bag with bats and knives in it, and asked me to pick the tool he’d beat me with. I said nothing and he started hitting my back with a bat. One man beat me and another man beat Lazar…Then captain Ibracevic came in and said, ‘Get out, what are you doing?’” Todic said.
According to Todic, Ibracevic ordered the soldiers to leave. Ibracevic closed and locked the door of the room he and Stanisic were held in.
Defense attorney Sanjin Bandovic asked Todic why he mentioned a “chief Ibrisevic” in a previous statement he had given, and not “Ibracevic.” Todic said he might have made a mistake while giving the statement.
Todic said he remembered an incident in which Stanisic was taken away. Todic said he could hear the screams of detainees Pero and Drago Djukic. He said he discovered later on that they were torched with a welding tool.
“Lazar told me he was taken to be burned…He gave me fish fat to rub on his back,” Todic said.
Smajlovic’s defense attorney Emir Suljagic presented Todic with two previous statements he had given during the investigation phase of the case. In those statements Todic had said that he saw Stanisic being tortured with a tool.
“I might have said something and they wrote something else…I’ll tell you the truth, I didn’t read this statement,” Todic said.
Rado Jovic testified at the same hearing. He said he was arrested and taken to the Tuzla prison, where he met prisoners from Rapatnica. He recalled seeing injuries on detainee Stokan Markovic’s body.
“I saw Lazar Stanisic when we were exchanged in 1993. He was ill and mentally he suffered a lot,” Jovic said.
The trial continues on March 24.
