Witness Describes Assault at Pero Radisic Trial

The Bosnian state prosecution has charged Radisic, the former commander of a working squad with the Teslicka Brigade of the Bosnian Serb Army, with having participated in the physical and mental abuse of Bosniak civilians from 1992-1995.

The indictment alleges that Radisic took a number of persons to locations where they performed forced labour, which led to death of at least six and the injury of several people on the frontline.

Witness Murat Kurtovic said he lived in Teslic and met Pero Radisic in 1994. Radisic was wearing a camouflaged uniform and carried an automatic weapon.

“He asked me if my name was Murat and asked me why I wasn’t performing my civic duty. I told him I was sick. Then he started mistreating me. He told me to come with him and began cursing at me and beating me,” Kurtovic said.

He said Pero Radisic kicked him and that other people witnessed it. He then forced him to walk on his knees. Kurtovic said he still suffered from the consequences of Radisic’s assault.

Kurtovic said that Radisic cut his head with his automatic weapon, and that he managed to flee while the Radisic was shooting at him.

“I didn’t know Pero Radisic. He looked like this man, sitting here, but he was skinnier back then…He introduced himself as Pero Radisic, and said he was in charge of civic duties performed on combat lines,” Kurtovic said. He said he wasn’t sure whether the man who beat him was present in the courtroom.

During cross-examination Kurtovic said some laborers told him about Pero Radisic.

The defense asked Kurtovic why he had said in previous statements that Pero Radisic said he would take him to the Radolinka facility.

“He didn’t say that to me, really…Pero Radisic had no association with Radolinka,” Kurtovic said. He said he was in that facility for a certain period of time.

At this hearing, the state prosecution gave up on the examination of a witness who refused to testify out of fear.

The trial will continue on April 17.