Witnesses Says Glogovac Assaulted Him in Kamenica

The state prosecution has charged Glogovac, a former military police officer with the Doboj operational group of the Ninth Battalion of the First Krajiski Corps of the Bosnian Serb Army, with causing severe physical and mental suffering to civilians and prisoners of war.

The injured parties were allegedly detained in the basement of the Franjo Herljevic hunting lodge in Kamenica in the municipality of Zavidovici from June-August 1992. Glogovac allegedly acted in collaboration with other members of the Bosnian Serb Army.

According to the indictment, Glogovac beat detainees Ahmedin Memcic, Zuhdija Memcic, Besir Softic and others. He kicked them and punched them until they lost consciousness. The beatings allegedly occurred several times a day.

Glogovac was originally charged with Novak Mitrovic, who has since deceased.

Injured party Ahmedin Memcic testified at today’s hearing. Memcic said he was captured with his neighbour, Zuhdija Memcic, while they were picking blueberries near the village of Begov Han in Zavidovici on July 1, 1992. He said they were taken to a detention camp in Zepacko Raskrsce, where they were interrogated. Memcic said they were taken to Leskovica and then to the Franjo Herljevic hunting lodge in Kamenica on the following day.

“Zeljko Jankovic unlocked the door in the morning. After asking a few questions, he began hitting me,” Memcic said. He was he was beaten everyday.

Memcic said Dragan Glogovac and Novak Mitrovic beat him as well.

“Dragan Glogovac beat me on the second day with the two of them. Back then he used to come all the time. They forced me to do push-ups. As soon as I got tired, they would hit me. He beat me with a rubber baton to exhaustion. I fainted. I peed blood. Blood was pouring out of my nose and mouth,” Memcic said.

Memcic said he knew Glogovac as a police officer from before the war. He said he had a specific way of beating him and others, which included slapping detainees on the ears.

“He was slightly skinnier than he is now. His hair was thicker. He had a short haircut…He wore a pilot suit and a white belt. He also had a handgun in his holster and a baton,” Memcic said. He recognized the defendant in the courtroom.

Memcic said detainees named Asim and Rasim Husanovic were held in the same room as him, and didn’t survive. He said he once heard crying and moaning from the room next door. He said four blooded prisoners were brought in and beaten. Memcic said Glogovac was present when this happened.

Memcic said he still suffered from the consequences of his abuse. He said after his release on August 10, 1992, doctors determined that six of his ribs were broken.

The defense said there were no ripe blueberries in season when Memcic was arrested.

Osman Luzic, another former detainee, testified at today’s hearing. He said he was detained in Kamenica with three other men.

“They beat us up. They forced us and detainees from another room to fight. Between seven and ten uniformed people beat us. They would hit us all over our bodies using all sorts of objects. They beat Besir more than any of us. He was totally covered in black bruises,” Luzic said.

Luzic said they were also taken to other locations in order to perform forced labour. He said they were also forced to watch their captors shoot weapons, in order to feel intimidated.

The prosecutor asked Luzic if Dragan Glogovac’s name had any significance to him.

“I don’t know the name, but I remember his face from the detention camp. He used to beat us,” Luzic said. He said he found out Glogovac’s name from the other detainees.

The defense said Luzic had previously failed to mention Glogovac. Luzic didn’t deny this, and said he didn’t know his name at the time.

The defense presented minutes from the investigation which indicated that Luzic didn’t recognize Glogovac in photographs presented to him. Luzic circled three photographs at this hearing, saying Glogovac could be the person in those photos.

Luzic said he was disabled and that his scale of disability was evaluated at 100 percent. He said he suffered from cerebral palsy since birth as well as post-traumatic stress.

The trial will continue on November 19.