Bosniak’s Father ‘Fatally Assaulted’ by Janja Police

Prosecution witness Admir Huremovic told the state court in Sarajevo on Thursday that police beat his father up in late November 1993 while he was returning from Donje Polje in the municipality of Bijeljina after the curfew.

“He was torn up. His face and legs were not damaged, but we could see boot marks on his chest. He said: ‘Police beat me up,’” Huremovic told the court.

“Five or six days later he was admitted into hospital. There was no blood, but he was battered. He began doubling over with pain. He underwent surgery on the ninth day,” he added.

He said his father told him at the hospital that a policeman called Cobic had beaten him up. During the cross-examination, he added that his neighbours informed him that another policeman called Mile Pilica had beaten his father up, along with Cobic.

Huremovic identified defendant Milan Markovic as Mile Pilica in the courtroom. He said he could not see Cobic in the courtroom.

“While in the hospital, my father did not mention Pilica. I heard about Cobic from my father and from neighbours, while Pilica’s name was only mentioned by the neighbours,” the witness said.

He said his father was discharged from hospital 12 days later and died on December 21, 1993.

Zoran Bogdanovic, Milan Djokic, Ljubisa Ikic, Branislav Trisic, Zoran Tanasic, Zarko Milanovic, Mladen Krajisnik, Savo Mrsic, Milivoj Cobic and Milan Markovic are on trial for allegedly participating in the persecution, unlawful arrests, mistreatment, beating and murder of Bosniak civilians in Janja.

The defendants were all police commanders, policemen or police reservists in Janja.

At a separate hearing at the state court on Thursday, a prosecution witness testified that his father was beaten up at the Rasadnik detention camp in

Rogatica by the defendant, Brane Planojevic, on orders from his superior.

Sefik Hurko told the court that he was captured, along with his father Fejzo, and taken to Rasadnik in August 1992.

He said that Vinko Bojic became the manager of Rasadnik in November 1992, while defendant Brane Planojevic was his deputy.

Hurko said that Bojic once beat him and his father and then ordered him to hit his own father with a baton.

“He then said: ‘Brane [Planojevic], you beat him now.’ So, he hit him as per his orders. Neither my father nor I thought it was his fault,” the witness said.

He also said that detainees felt more comfortable in the company of Planojevic when Bojic was absent.

The indictment charges Planojevic with murders, torture and assisting in the rape of detainees at the Rasadnik detention camp in Rogatica from 1992 to 1995.

He has been charged with having been the deputy manager of Rasadnik and a guard at the detention camp.