Examination of Witness Testifying on Bileca Arrests and Abuse Interrupted

Goran Vujovic, Miroslav Duka and Zeljko Ilic are on trial for war crimes in Bileca. 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 abused, tortured and killed. Ilic has been charged with participating in acts of physical and mental abuse, torture, and murder.

According to the indictment, at the time Vujovic was the chief of the public safety station in Bileca, Duka was the commander of the police station and Ilic was a police officer.

Testifying at today’s hearing, Srecko Kljunak said he couldn’t testify because he had holes in his memory. Prosecutor Behaija Krnjic said he would request an expert examination of Kljunak’s mental state.

Prior to the interruption of his testimony, Kljunak had said that Zeljko Ilic and Novak Radovanovic detained him at the police station in Bileca.

Prosecutor Krnjic said that according to minutes from a statement Kljunak had given in 2013, he’d said that Nedeljko Kuljic (also known as Zeka) and Zeljko Ilic, both active police officers, arrested him.

Kljunak said he couldn’t remember what he’d said during his 2013 statement, and said he had been examined by two investigators for six hours when he gave that statement. However, he told the trial chamber that Dragisa Ilic was one of the police officers who arrested him, not Zeljko Ilic.

Kljunak said when he arrived at the police station, the police chief – a man named Miomir – and Goran Vujovic interrogated him, because he didn’t want to join the army.

“I said, ‘I don’t want to shoot at my people,’” Kljunak said. He said he was then punched, kicked, and beaten with a baton in another room.

Kljunak said that two days later he was transferred to the student dormitory in Bileca, and said the other detainees there were mostly Bosniaks.

“We were guarded by reserve policemen. Kuljic, Dragisa Ivkovic and Ilic beat us more than anyone else. Mr. Duka’s special policemen threw tear gas into our rooms,” Kljunak said.

Kljunak told the court that Kuljic forced him to lick urine and that he was also tortured with electrocution. He said other detainees were also mistreated and beaten in the student dormitory.

“After having been beaten by Novak and Kuljic, I was taken to the hospital. Mr. Duka said we should be taken to the hospital,” Kljunak said.

Kljunak said Duka slapped him after he’d been transferred to the police station from the student dormitory. The prosecution said Kljunak had previously stated that he’d been slapped by Duka in the student dormitory, and that Duka had also kicked him in the stomach.

The examination was interrupted before the cross-examination could take place.

The trial will continue on June 9.