Witness Describes Dressing Wounds of Rapatnica Prisoners

Ibracevic, Smajlovic and Covic have been charged with the torture and abuse of Serb civilians in Rapatnica in 1992. Ibracevic was formerly the chief of military security with the Territorial Defense Headquarters in Srebrenik, while Smajlovic and Covic were members of the military police.

Zlatka Kavgic, a nurse, testified at today’s hearing. She said in August 1992 she was taken to a room in the Rapatnica detention facility and was presented with two prisoners who had injuries resembling burns.

“One of them had burns on the upper part of his body. I’m not sure, because I had just started working, so I didn’t know much about wounds. The other one had similar injuries, but smaller,” Kavgic said. She said she stayed with the prisoners for 20-30 minutes.

She confirmed that a doctor and another nurse had offered medical assistance to those prisoners a few days earlier.

Kavgic confirmed that internal records were kept of medical interventions in the field. She said those records contained data on patients and the type of medical assistance they received.

She said the two prisoners were not registered under their names. In the documentation on the prisoners, she said the doctor wrote “military prison – strictly confidential.”

Kavgic confirmed having written in her report that she dressed the prisoners’ wounds on August 3, 1992. She said a lot of medical material had been used, and advised that the prisoners be visited on the following day. She said one of them had severe injuries. On the basis of the internal notebook, she said her colleagues visited the prisoners a few more times.

Hasan Dzanic, who was the chief of the Engineering Section of the Territorial Defense Headquarters, also testified at today’s hearing. Upon the prosecution’s request, he described the organization and the work of the Territorial Defense and military police in Srebrenik.

Dzanic said he heard about Ibracevic and the Rapatnica detention facility, where “everyone, including our soldiers, was detained.”

The trial will continue on October 6.