Witness Describes Inhumane Conditions and Abuse at Bileca Detention Facility

The witness, Nezir Djapo, said he and his wife tried to leave Bileca to go to Montenegro in the summer of 1992. He said they were stopped at the border crossing, at which point he was arrested and brought to a prison behind the police station in Bileca.

“It was a real prison. It had three small rooms and a corridor. Many people were held in it, about 80, but the number kept changing. There wasn’t enough room. I couldn’t enter one of the cells, so I stayed on concrete floor in the corridor,” Djapo said. He said prisoners’ relatives would bring food to the prisoners.

Djapo said nine prisoners were taken out of the detention area and were beaten in August 1992.

“Asim Djapo was taken out first. We heard him moaning and them beating him. He had bruises when he came back. Then they took eight more people out. They told us later on that they were detained in an isolation cell in the police station and were beaten. I don’t know who beat them, but Munib Ovcina told me he was beaten by Miroslav Duka and two more guys,” Djapo said.

Miroslav Duka, the former police commander of Bileca, has been charged with crimes against civilians, along with Goran Vujovic, the former chief of the public safety station in Bileca, and Zeljko Ilic, a former policeman.

Vujovic and Duka have been charged with enabling and organizing the detention of Bosniak and Croat civilians in the public safety station and student dormitory in Bileca, where detainees were killed, tortured and abused. Ilic has been charged with participating in acts of physical and mental abuse.

Djapo said tear gas was thrown into the prison and fire was opened at the prisoners at the beginning of September 1992.

“Somebody had a blanket, which was set on fire by the tear gas bomb. Later on they started shooting at us. Some people were wounded. A bullet pierced through my brother-in-law’s hand. This was horrible,” Djapo said.

Djapo was exchanged in October 1992.

Responding to questions by the defense attorneys of the three defendants, Djapo said he received medical assistance when he felt unwell during his detention.

Dejan Bogdanovic, Duka’s defense attorney, asked him why he failed to mention that Munib Ovcina told him he had been beaten by Duka in a statement he had previously given in 2013. Djapo said he found out about it only recently.

The trial will continue on May 5.