Witness Statement Describe Abuse Inflicted by Radisic

The Bosnian state prosecution has charged Radisic, the former commander of a work squad with the Teslicka Brigade of the Bosnian Serb Army, with participating in the physical and mental abuse of Bosniak civilians in Teslic 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.

Osman Huskic said Pero Radisic, nicknamed Django, came to his house looking for his son, Sabahudin.

“The mistreatment began inside the house. Radisic said he wouldn’t leave until I told him where my son was, and he said we would have to bring drinks and food to him the whole night,” Huskic said in a statement he gave to the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) in June 2007.

Huskic said that a protected witness known as R-1 was with him in the house. He said Radisic “grabbed the person and threatened that he would slaughter her unless she told him where his son was.”

“I was watching helplessly. Django hit me in the face, pushed me out of the house and took me towards the police station. He kept hitting me the whole time. After that he took me home. He forced me and R-1 out again. He took us in front of a house next to the mosque. They examined me. One of the soldiers pushed R-1 into a trench. Somebody fired two bullets towards the trench,” Huskic said.

In his July 2007 statement, witness Mehmedalija Mujkanovic said he had to dig trenches for the military.

“I heard that Pero Radisic was the most dangerous man of all. He used to beat prisoners. I didn’t know him. He didn’t guard us when I worked. He once wanted to kill me with his rifle, but a man saved me. He told him not to do it, because I performed my civil duty. I didn’t see him after that. I heard he used to come to my village of Ruzevici, looking for some men,” Mujkanovic recalled.

Prosecutor Milorad Barasin read a statement by witness Plamenko Bekic, who said he knew Radisic and knew he had a working squad.

“I didn’t have an opportunity to see him mistreat or beat anyone. Others told me he mistreated them, but I also heard he helped people,” Bekic said in his statement.

The trial will continue on October 2.