Page 3906
1 Tuesday, 11 July 2000
2 [Open session]
3 --- Upon commencing at 9.32 a.m.
4 [The witness entered court]
5 [The accused entered court]
6 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Good morning. You may be
7 seated. Good morning to the technical booth, the interpreters, legal
8 assistants, and court reporters; good morning, Madam Registrar; good
9 morning, Ms. Hollis, Mr. Waidyaratne, Mr. Piacente; good morning, Defence
10 counsel. They're all here, I see.
11 Good morning, Witness. Can you hear me well?
12 THE WITNESS: [Interpretation] Yes.
13 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Before we continue, can everyone
14 follow? Can we hear each other well? Fine.
15 You're going to continue to answer questions put to you today. It
16 is the turn of the Defence counsel of Mr. Zigic. I remind you that you
17 are still under oath.
18 So Mr. Tosic and Mr. Stojanovic, your witness.
19 WITNESS: WITNESS N [Resumed]
20 [Witness answered through interpreter]
21 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] Thank you, Your Honours.
22 Cross-examined by Mr. Stojanovic:
23 Q. Sir, I have to use the pseudonym N in addressing you. Mr. Zigic's
24 defence, composed of my colleague Mr. Tosic from Banja Luka and myself,
25 Slobodan Stojanovic from Belgrade, has a few questions for you.
Page 3907
1 During your testimony yesterday, you stated that you had known
2 Mr. Zigic before Keraterm as a taxi driver from Prijedor. Can you tell us
3 a little more about that, how you came to meet him? Did you use his
4 services? Did you see him driving a taxi, or in some other way?
5 A. I learnt about him seeing him driving a taxi, and I saw him
6 washing his car at Trisvic's, and I know that his relatives live near
7 Kozarac. That's all I know about him.
8 Q. Thank you. Where would you see Mr. Zigic as a taxi driver, what
9 part of town or in the suburbs? Roughly?
10 A. I saw him twice at the Prijedor railway station.
11 Q. Do you remember what car he drove as a taxi?
12 A. I'm not quite sure whether it was a Fiat or a Lada.
13 Q. Do you remember the colour of the car?
14 A. It was beige, cream coloured.
15 Q. Can you tell us in what period of time you saw him as a taxi
16 driver? I'm not asking for any precision.
17 A. Well, in the years before the war, in 1991 and 1992.
18 Q. But in 1992 the war had already broken out. So you mean until the
19 actual outbreak of the war?
20 A. Yes, 1991, 1992.
21 Q. Thank you. You described his appearance before you saw him in
22 Keraterm, and you said, among other things, that he had a scar on his
23 face. Could you describe that scar in greater detail, what part of the
24 face?
25 A. It is on his chin somewhere.
Page 3908
1 Q. My question was: You noticed the scar before you met him in
2 Keraterm?
3 A. Yes.
4 Q. You have already almost answered that question. Did you ever have
5 personal contacts with Zigic before Keraterm?
6 A. No.
7 Q. Thank you. In 1994, I have noted the date of the 26th of
8 September as the date when you gave a written statement to the Prosecution
9 of this Tribunal.
10 A. Yes.
11 Q. Did you state on that occasion that in the first seven days of
12 your stay in Keraterm, as far as you knew, some 50 men had been released
13 after having been interrogated?
14 A. Yes.
15 Q. Let us go back to the event with Emsud Bahonjic, and I have a few
16 questions regarding that for you. Do you know the circumstances under
17 which Emsud was arrested?
18 A. Emsud was arrested in Kozarac near the taxi cafe bar, in the
19 reserve police force, wearing that uniform. He had a rifle on him from
20 which he had not shot a single bullet, and two or three others were
21 arrested with him and were executed on the spot.
22 Q. Does that mean that he was a kind of fighter?
23 A. He was not a combatant. He was a member of the reserve police
24 force.
25 Q. But he had a rifle. Did he have ammunition too?
Page 3909
1 A. Yes, the rifle was issued to him by the public security station of
2 Prijedor, like all active duty and reserve policemen of Prijedor
3 municipality.
4 Q. Within which police organisation was he at the moment of arrest?
5 A. He was a member of the Yugoslav reserve police force.
6 Q. If I'm not mistaken, you said that he was brought on the 8th or
7 9th of June. So he had been arrested just prior to that. Did a Yugoslav
8 police force exist at that time in that part of Bosnia?
9 A. I didn't quite understand the question.
10 Q. You told us yesterday that Emsud was brought on the 8th or 9th of
11 June to the camp. So I assume he was arrested the day before, that very
12 same day, but that is not important. And you said when he was arrested,
13 he was a member of the Yugoslav police. My question is: At that point in
14 time, that is, beginning of June, did a Yugoslav police force exist at all
15 in that part of Bosnia?
16 A. As far as I know, the Yugoslav police still existed then, and he
17 was arrested two, three, or five days before his arrival in Keraterm.
18 Q. Thank you. Do you know perhaps a little more about the police
19 unit he belonged to and who was in command?
20 A. Zigic, from the village of Balte was with him, but I don't know
21 his first name. He was with him in the unit.
22 Q. You said he arrived in Keraterm on the 8th or 9th of June. Was he
23 already beaten up? Do you know who beat him up previously?
24 A. It was Dusan Knezevic, called Duca.
25 Q. In your statement to the Prosecution, did you say that Emsud told
Page 3910
1 you at the time, if Duca or Dusan Knezevic comes, I'm finished?
2 A. Yes. But Zoran Zigic came at the same time and nicknamed him the
3 sniper from Singapore.
4 Q. Do you know the reason why the late Emsud feared Duca so much?
5 A. No.
6 Q. In that same statement, did you say that Emsud was beaten for the
7 following 19 or 20 days, on a daily basis?
8 A. Yes.
9 Q. Did you say in that statement that Emsud died in the afternoon? I
10 think it was the 26th of June.
11 A. I made that statement a long time ago, and I don't remember very
12 well. I still haven't read that statement, and you have studied it.
13 Q. Can I remind you? Can I refresh your memory then?
14 It is page 13 of the Bosnian or Serbian version. It doesn't
15 matter which. Second paragraph from the top, and it says: "Emsud died in
16 the afternoon. I think it was the 26th of June."
17 Do you remember saying that?
18 A. I cannot remember that.
19 Q. In that same statement, did you say that Emsud was beaten by Dusan
20 Knezevic, Zoran Zigic, Predrag Banovic, a concern Sahadija, and a certain
21 Kondic? Of course, this was not simultaneously, but did all these persons
22 participate in beating Emsud Bahonjic according to what you said in that
23 statement?
24 A. They all participated but Zoran Zigic beat him the most, then
25 Dusan Knezevic, and then young Predrag Banovic as third.
Page 3911
1 Q. In that same statement, did you say that Duca participated about
2 ten times in beating up Emsud?
3 A. Whoever was called out from any room, Emsud was among them,
4 because that was the order given by Zigic.
5 Q. But my question was: Did you say that Duca participated about ten
6 times in beating up Emsud?
7 A. Yes, I did say that.
8 Q. Did you also mention a very bad beating that Emsud received from
9 Predrag Banovic when Emsud happened to be alone in the room?
10 A. I cannot recollect that.
11 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] With the Court's indulgence, I
12 should like to read from page 17, the one but last paragraph:
13 "Once when I was standing in line for food in front of the room
14 in which I was held at the time, I saw that Emsud was the only one left in
15 room number 2. I saw Predrag Banovic go to him. I heard Emsud
16 screaming. When I went back towards Emsud, the whole left side of his
17 face was completely deformed. When this happened, there was no one else
18 there but Banovic."
19 Q. Can you remember that?
20 A. Yes.
21 Q. Did you ever see Zoran Zigic in Keraterm together with any one of
22 the Banovic brothers that you mentioned, together?
23 A. Yes, yes.
24 Q. Tell us, please, when, if it wasn't frequently?
25 A. It was when the Banovics were on duty as guards, Zigic could come
Page 3912
1 into the camp at his will.
2 Q. Can you tell us in what period of time this occurred? More
3 precisely, when were the Banovics on duty, on guard?
4 A. What do you mean?
5 Q. Well perhaps I wasn't quite clear enough. Were they there from
6 the very beginning when you arrived in Keraterm, as guards in Keraterm?
7 A. Three or four days later, they started coming to Keraterm as
8 guards in Keraterm.
9 Q. After your arrival?
10 A. Yes, after my arrival in Keraterm. And they stayed until the end
11 of my stay in Keraterm.
12 Q. A few questions in connection with an individual known as Car.
13 Can you tell us, in somewhat more detail, when the event -- when somebody
14 was forced to run with a machine-gun, roughly when does this happen?
15 A. It happened in the afternoon. It was raining. I do not recollect
16 the date because it was a long time ago, but it was in the second or third
17 half of my stay in the camp. I mean in the -- no. In the second or third
18 week of my stay in the camp.
19 Q. Thank you. Can you tell us anything more as to when Car died?
20 A. I think it was in the night, but I saw his body the next day in
21 front of the door of the toilet, about seven or eight metres away.
22 Q. Let us clarify a certain detail, if we may. You told us yesterday
23 that he died the next day after this event, if I am not mistaken. And in
24 this statement, on page 14, it says that you told the Prosecution that he
25 died one hour after this incident. Is it correct that you said that
Page 3913
1 then? So could you explain that in greater detail?
2 A. He died an hour after that running, but I saw his body the next
3 day, thrown out opposite the door of the toilet, at a distance of some
4 seven or eight metres.
5 Q. Thank you. Regarding Sengin Ramadanovic, in your statement to the
6 Prosecution, did you say that he was beaten by Zigic, Banovic, and Duca?
7 A. Yes.
8 Q. When did you see Zigic for the last time in Keraterm? I think you
9 told us you were there from the 31st of May until you went to Trnopolje on
10 the 6th of August, 1992. Can you tell us when you saw him for the last
11 time? If you don't know the date, then tell us in relation to a certain
12 event.
13 A. I saw him for the last time in the Trnopolje camp, when we arrived
14 from Keraterm.
15 Q. That is in Trnopolje. But my question is when you saw him for the
16 last time in Keraterm.
17 A. I'm afraid I can't remember that.
18 Q. Could you link that somehow to your period of stay? So far you
19 have been talking about the first, second, and third week of your stay.
20 A. No. I just can't remember.
21 Q. You told us a little about the event or, rather, the massacre in
22 room number 3. If I understood you correctly, you were taken out in the
23 morning to pile up the bodies, as you said, between rooms number 3 and 4.
24 Is that correct?
25 A. Yes.
Page 3914
1 Q. After that, did you say that shortly after that, a truck arrived
2 for the bodies to be loaded on it?
3 A. Yes, the truck arrived later for the bodies to be loaded onto it.
4 Q. Did you see Mr. Zigic close to that truck, close to that truck,
5 right next to the truck?
6 A. I saw him that day in the camp, but I can't say that I saw him
7 next to the truck. I really can't say that.
8 Q. Could you tell us where you saw him that day in the camp?
9 A. Whether he was near the scales or not, I'm not quite sure, but I
10 know that I saw him moving around in the camp.
11 Q. You said "on that day." What time of day was it? Was it in the
12 morning, midday, the afternoon?
13 A. I think that all the bodies had already been collected and had
14 started to be loaded onto the truck, something like that.
15 Q. The machine-gun or machine-guns, were they positioned in front of
16 the rooms in which the people were detained in Keraterm, even before this
17 night when the tragedy occurred?
18 A. The machine-gun nest was just behind the scales and just in front
19 of the scales.
20 Q. I beg your pardon. The question was: Did it exist before too?
21 A. Yes. But that night a truck arrived which was never there.
22 Q. Tell us, since when was the machine-gun nest positioned there?
23 Was it from the very first time you arrived or was it formed later?
24 A. When they put the wire at number 1 and number 2, they positioned
25 the machine-gun nest, but I can't remember the date.
Page 3915
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Page 3916
1 Q. You don't have to give us the date, but just tell us which week.
2 A. I think it was the third or fourth week of my stay in the camp.
3 Q. Does that mean that a machine-gun nest existed several days prior
4 to this massacre?
5 A. Yes. The machine-gun nest existed at two places, but that night a
6 truck came from which most of the shooting came and from which most of the
7 fire could be seen.
8 Q. The massacre, did you describe it in detail to the investigators
9 of the Prosecution in your statement?
10 A. Yes.
11 Q. In that statement, did you describe a large number of incidents
12 with Zigic, other incidents?
13 A. Yes.
14 Q. In that same statement, in describing this tragedy, did you
15 mention Zigic?
16 A. I cannot remember that.
17 Q. Let me put a direct question to you. On the day of the gunfire
18 and this dreadful massacre, did you see Zigic then?
19 A. I don't understand the question.
20 Q. I think the night before the massacre was the 24th. Of course you
21 may not remember the exact date, but the evening prior to the shooting of
22 men in room number 3, did you see Zoran Zigic somewhere in the vicinity?
23 A. I cannot remember whether I did or not.
24 MR. STOJANOVIC: [Interpretation] Your Honours, with your
25 indulgence, I should like to ask a few questions relative to some
Page 3917
1 protected witnesses. So I think it would be advisable to provide them
2 with maximum protection and, therefore, go into a private session.
3 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Yes. Let's go into private
4 session.
5 [Private session]
6 (redacted)
7 (redacted)
8 (redacted)
9 (redacted)
10 (redacted)
11 (redacted)
12 (redacted)
13 (redacted)
14 (redacted)
15 (redacted)
16 (redacted)
17 (redacted)
18 (redacted)
19 (redacted)
20 (redacted)
21 (redacted)
22 (redacted)
23 (redacted)
24 (redacted)
25 (redacted)
Page 3918
1 (redacted)
2 (redacted)
3 (redacted)
4 (redacted)
5 (redacted)
6 (redacted)
7 (redacted)
8 (redacted)
9 (redacted)
10 [Open session]
11 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] We are already in public
12 session.
13 Mr. Waidyaratne, do you have any additional questions for this
14 witness?
15 MR. WAIDYARATNE: No, thank you.
16 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Thank you very much, Mr.
17 Waidyaratne. Judge Riad has the floor.
18 Questioned by the Court:
19 JUDGE RIAD: Witness N, good morning. Can you hear me?
20 A. Yes, I can.
21 JUDGE RIAD: I have just two questions perhaps to ask you for more
22 clarification, or for more information. You were once called by the guard
23 called Kajin to pile bodies between room 3 and 4. Bodies were being
24 pulled out from rooms 3 and 4 and you described the bodies as some of them
25 had no backs and some had no arms. Were these people without arms and
Page 3919
1 backs alive or dead? Were all the people inside the room being pulled out
2 dead?
3 A. They were all dead. They were all dead bodies.
4 JUDGE RIAD: So nobody survived from inside the rooms? They died
5 inside?
6 A. No. This only took place in room number 3, and some people
7 survived.
8 JUDGE RIAD: What took place when you say this took place?
9 A. The whole activity, the shooting incident occurred in room number
10 3 and in front of room number 3.
11 JUDGE RIAD: Shooting inside, inside the room itself?
12 A. The shooting was going on on that night in front of the room and
13 inside the room itself.
14 JUDGE RIAD: And the people who lost their backs and their arms,
15 the shooting does not -- was it shooting by bullets or by cannons to lose
16 the back or to lose the arms? To your knowledge, what happened? Was it
17 bombs, was it what?
18 A. The shooting was from a large calibre machine-gun from which fire
19 was opened.
20 JUDGE RIAD: Now, you also were called, I think, to load the
21 corpses on the truck which came. Now, all the people which were loaded --
22 you said to load corpses and wounded -- were they put together in the same
23 truck, one over the other, or were the wounded treated differently from
24 the dead?
25 A. I was ordered to collect them and put them on a pile, and others
Page 3920
1 were ordered to load them onto the truck, and the wounded also were
2 loading the dead onto the truck, and at the end the wounded also boarded
3 the truck together with the bodies.
4 JUDGE RIAD: You mean they were piled together, dead and wounded?
5 How were the wounded treated, if you remember?
6 A. The wounded were ordered to board the truck which was carrying
7 dead bodies, and they were all taken away on the same truck, and no
8 medical assistance was ever given to them.
9 JUDGE RIAD: Thank you very much.
10 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Thank you very much,
11 Judge Riad.
12 Madam Judge Wald has the floor.
13 JUDGE WALD: Two brief questions, Witness N. You mentioned that
14 when the Banovics were on duty as guards, that Zigic could come into the
15 camp at will, and you saw him several times with one of the Banovics. Was
16 that the only time that Zigic, to your knowledge, could come into the camp
17 at will when these people, the Banovics, were on duty or was he there at
18 other times as well?
19 A. He would come whenever he wanted to come.
20 JUDGE WALD: So is wasn't just certain guards that could decide
21 whether he would come or not. He came whenever he wished, regardless of
22 who was on duty?
23 A. That is correct.
24 JUDGE WALD: Okay. My second question is just to make sure that I
25 understood your answer to one of the questions asked by Mr. Zigic's
Page 3921
1 counsel, and that is: Around the time of the alleged massacre, am I
2 correct that you didn't see Zigic around the gun placement the afternoon
3 before the shootings, and you didn't see him around the truck the morning
4 after the shootings when you were piling bodies? I just want to make sure
5 I have that correct. Is that right? Or you don't remember whether you
6 saw them?
7 A. I didn't load the bodies at all. I just pulled them out. And
8 Zigic was walking around the scales which was located in front of the
9 camp.
10 JUDGE WALD: Okay. That's what I wanted to get straight. I
11 understand you now to be saying that when you were doing the piling of the
12 bodies, Zigic was walking around somewhere in the vicinity, around the
13 scales that were located in front; is that right?
14 A. Yes.
15 JUDGE WALD: Okay. Thank you.
16 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Thank you very much,
17 Judge Wald.
18 Witness N, I have a question. Actually, I need some
19 clarification. You stated that you would see Zigic in the camp every day,
20 and you linked the presence of Zigic with the presence of another guard at
21 one point. Could you tell us the frequency of your sightings of Zigic in
22 the camp?
23 A. As regards the frequency, I can say that I saw him every day.
24 Sometimes he would come and stay only for one hour, sometimes 20 minutes.
25 On another occasion for two hours.
Page 3922
1 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Do you perhaps know whether
2 Zigic had any functions over there? Did he have any specific duties as
3 part of the security personnel? You were able to observe the situation on
4 a daily basis, so did you reach any conclusion in that respect?
5 A. As far as I know, he had no function whatsoever, because he would
6 come -- because there were shifts in the camp, and I didn't see him in any
7 of those shifts. He would come whenever he wished.
8 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Therefore, he did not have any
9 particular schedule?
10 A. No.
11 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Thank you very much, Witness N.
12 I don't think we have any other questions for you except perhaps to ask
13 you whether you have anything to say, anything that has not been asked of
14 you here?
15 THE WITNESS: [Interpretation] No, I don't, Your Honour.
16 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] I don't think that we have any
17 documents that need to be tendered into evidence, Mr. Waidyaratne?
18 MR. WAIDYARATNE: No.
19 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] As regards the Defence of
20 Mr. Zigic, no exhibits? Thank you.
21 Witness N, thank you very much for coming to testify here. We
22 wish you a pleasant journey back to your place of residence. Please do
23 not move for a second because the blinds need to be lowered down and only
24 after that can you be taken out of the courtroom by the usher.
25 [The witness withdrew]
Page 3923
1 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Ms. Hollis, what happens next?
2 MS. HOLLIS: Your Honour, the next witness will be Witness AM.
3 This witness will be testifying with a pseudonym and with image distortion
4 but not with voice distortion, and Mr. Piacente will be leading the direct
5 evidence of this witness.
6 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] The registrar has told me that
7 we need a short break to make all the necessary preparations, because it
8 seems that we no longer need the voice distortion. So certain technical
9 changes have to be made. So we will have a very brief break, only a
10 five-minute break to make the necessary arrangements.
11 --- Break taken at 10.15 a.m.
12 --- On resuming at 10.20 a.m.
13 [The witness entered court]
14 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Witness AM, can you hear me?
15 THE WITNESS: [Interpretation] Yes, I can.
16 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] You will be referred to as
17 Witness AM because of the protective measures. Could you please read the
18 solemn declaration that the usher is giving you.
19 THE WITNESS: [Interpretation] I solemnly declare that I will speak
20 the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
21 WITNESS: WITNESS AM
22 [Witness answered through interpreter]
23 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] You may now be seated. Make
24 yourself comfortable. Are you comfortable, Witness?
25 THE WITNESS: [Interpretation] Yes, I am.
Page 3924
1 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Witness AM, you are first going
2 to answer questions put to you by the Prosecutor, who is represented here
3 by Mr. Piacente.
4 Mr. Piacente, you have the floor. Oh, I'm sorry. There is some
5 something that we have to do before.
6 Witness, could you please have a look at the piece of paper that
7 the usher will show you, and could you tell us by simply saying yes or no
8 whether this is indeed your name?
9 THE WITNESS: [Interpretation] Yes, it is.
10 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Thank you very much.
11 Now the examination can proceed. Mr. Piacente, you have the
12 floor.
13 MR. PIACENTE: Thank you very much. Before I start, Your Honour,
14 I would like to specify that Witness AM is being called to testify about
15 his personal data; his arrest; his confinement in Trnopolje and Omarska;
16 the ethnicity of prisoners; ethnicity of soldiers; treatment suffered by
17 him and other prisoners in Omarska; killings the night between 11th and
18 12th of July, 1992, St. Peter's Day; killings of detainees from Hambarine;
19 impact on the victim of the crimes committed by the accused.
20 Another request: May we go into private session for a while, just
21 for a few questions?
22 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] We will go into private
23 session.
24 [Private session]
25 (redacted)
Page 3925
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2 (redacted)
3 (redacted)
4 (redacted)
5 (redacted)
6 (redacted)
7 (redacted)
8 (redacted)
9 (redacted)
10 (redacted)
11 (redacted)
12 (redacted)
13 [Open session]
14 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Yes, Mr. Piacente, we are in
15 public session again.
16 MR. PIACENTE:
17 Q. Did you stay in Trnopolje in May 1992?
18 A. Yes, I did.
19 Q. And then where were you taken?
20 A. According to some special lists or indictments, they were looking
21 for drivers who had been charged with arms smuggling from Croatia into
22 Bosnia, and I was amongst those people and I was taken to Omarska to be
23 interrogated there.
24 Q. And were you interrogated in Omarska?
25 A. I was interrogated on the same day I arrived in Omarska.
Page 3926
1 Q. Who were you interrogated by?
2 A. I was interrogated by two individuals in uniform whom I didn't
3 know. Later, according to some information that we had, we knew that
4 people from Banja Luka would come for interrogations in Omarska. There
5 was a policeman there who would hit the person who was being interrogated
6 if the investigators were not pleased with the answers.
7 Q. So you were interrogated, two policemen interrogated you. Who
8 else was present during your interrogation?
9 A. There was one civilian who was standing behind my back and who was
10 also present during my interrogation.
11 Q. What were you asked?
12 A. The first question was posed almost while I was at the door. They
13 asked me how many guns I had smuggled for Muslims in Kozarac.
14 Q. Was it only that question or were you asked other questions? If
15 you can list them, please.
16 A. There were other questions as well, such as who had organised the
17 defence in Kozarac, who had armed people, who had paid the people for
18 that, what my role in those activities was, whom I had voted for, why we
19 didn't want to live in Yugoslavia. So they wanted to know everything
20 about this prewar situation.
21 Q. Were you beaten?
22 A. Yes, I was. During the interrogation, I sustained numerous blows
23 with clubs. I didn't fall down, I didn't faint, but I was black and blue
24 all over my back.
25 Q. Who were you beaten by?
Page 3927
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Page 3928
1 A. I was beaten by a civilian who was standing in the corner of the
2 room behind my back.
3 Q. Where were you confined in Omarska?
4 A. When the interrogation ended, we could eat. We had dinner, and
5 then we were transferred to an electrical workshop in the building above
6 the garages where the machines were repaired. There was an electrical
7 workshop, and that is where I was detained.
8 Q. Which floor?
9 A. The first floor.
10 Q. Did other people arrive the first night of your confinement in
11 Omarska?
12 A. While we waited in line for dinner, a group of people arrived who
13 had been captured at Benkovac, two buses full, and who were getting off
14 the bus just then and being confined in the room behind the kitchen, some
15 sort of garages. Those men were running from the buses, and they had to
16 pass between two lines of Serb guards who hit them as they ran towards
17 this garage. The group numbered about 150 or 120 men. We didn't count
18 them, but there were two buses full.
19 Q. Were you registered when you arrived in Omarska?
20 A. Yes. When we were interrogated, they asked me about my personal
21 particulars, where I was born, my ID card. The documents I had on me I
22 had to show them.
23 Q. To your knowledge, were also the other prisoners registered?
24 A. When people were interrogated, everyone had to say his name. And
25 later on, as we stayed in the camp, lists were made. We were all forced
Page 3929
1 out of rooms, and when we went back in, everyone had to pass by a table,
2 give his name, and confirm this with a document or with witnesses who
3 could confirm their identity if they had no documents on them.
4 Q. During your confinement in Omarska, did you have to give money to
5 the soldiers?
6 A. Money was a great attraction for all the guards, the leadership of
7 the camp and generally. Money was always requested. So as not to kill
8 somebody, we would have to collect so much money. Then half an hour later
9 they would come back with the same request. At first there was some
10 money, but very soon, a week or two later, the money had been taken from
11 the people and then a collection of money was organised among people who
12 were assumed to have hidden some money at home, because everyone knew that
13 no one kept their money in the bank in Yugoslavia in those days because of
14 inflation. People kept foreign currency which they needed for their
15 business, at home.
16 Q. How much money did you give?
17 A. I had to make a drawing, a diagram, and two men took it and they
18 said they hadn't found my money at home. I had about 15.000 German
19 marks.
20 Q. Let's focus now on St. Peter's Day. Can you remember what
21 happened that night?
22 A. On the eve of St. Peter's Day, it is customary among the Serb
23 people to light bonfires, to rejoice, to drink, and we would see that in
24 the past, and the same happened that year. In that bonfire, they set fire
25 to a large tyre of at least two metres in diameter, and as they orgied,
Page 3930
1 they threw individuals into that fire. All this was happening in front of
2 the "white house."
3 Q. When you say "individuals," do you mean prisoners?
4 A. When I say "individuals," they are prisoners, Muslims who were
5 thrown into the fire by the guards who were standing around.
6 Q. How long did this ceremony last?
7 A. The ceremony went on for several hours. I was at the window
8 watching, and everybody wanted to look. We were pushing one another
9 around to watch. This went on for a couple of hours, but I was at the
10 window for a very short time, and I saw a young man being thrown in. And
11 an acquaintance of mine, who was his neighbour, who was standing next to
12 me, said his name was Cirkic, he was Captain Cirkic's brother who
13 apparently had organised the defence of Kozarac, and he had been thrown
14 into this burning tyre.
15 Q. Among the prisoners, do you recall people from Hambarine?
16 A. The people from Hambarine, one afternoon in the second half of
17 July, were brought there in two buses and put up in premises that we
18 called the hangar or the rooms number 15 and number 26. Then a couple of
19 hours later, those same people were all told to get out and all of them
20 were put up in the "white house." This was just before darkness fell.
21 Q. Was the "white house" one of the premises of Omarska?
22 A. Yes. The "white house" was across the way from this main
23 building. I can show it. I slept in an office upstairs in this building
24 occasionally, and I had a direct view of the "white house" from there, and
25 I could see what was happening to people who were taken that night to the
Page 3931
1 "white house."
2 Q. And can you tell us what happened that night?
3 A. That night I fell asleep very late, as usual, about 10.00 or
4 11.00, and roughly at 2.00 or 3.00 a.m. I was awakened by pistol shots
5 behind the building. I got up cautiously, I passed by a lemon plant that
6 was in a pot, and I saw people lying on the ground, lots of people, and
7 guards would go by and fire a bullet in their heads to finish them off. I
8 didn't see how they fell to the ground and how they were tortured.
9 Probably they were beaten by various things, fire extinguishers, clubs,
10 poles, and then the killing took place with pistol shots, one bullet each
11 into the head.
12 I remember well when this bullet was fired, the brain would come
13 out as if the bullet had hit milk, and it came out like white dust.
14 Q. Did you recognise any of the guards?
15 A. Only one guard I could recognise, his name was Zivko Marmat,
16 because he had unusually fair hair, the only one among all the guards who
17 came to the camp. He was the fairest. He was blonde.
18 Q. Where had the victims been confined before their arrival in
19 Omarska?
20 A. According to what the people who survived the massacre said, but
21 they didn't want to report, they were held in Keraterm for a month or
22 two.
23 Q. How do you know it?
24 A. This was established after we arrived at Manjaca and when we all
25 got together so we could contact one another. And a man surnamed Tadic, I
Page 3932
1 don't know his first name, said that he stayed behind and his whole group
2 of neighbours and acquaintance, who were apparently sent for exchange,
3 actually went to the "white house." Then I told him they never went to be
4 exchanged, they were all killed that night.
5 Q. Can you specify where were the bodies of the victims were lying
6 when they were shot?
7 A. The bodies of the victims lay around the "white house," behind the
8 "white house," on the side towards the "red house," on the concrete, on
9 the asphalt pista behind the "red house." Simply, I was horrified when I
10 saw so many bodies lying there, some 50 or 70 metres, in an area of some
11 50 or 70 metres.
12 Q. What happened to the corpses?
13 A. After these bullets were fired into people's heads, a truck came
14 and a loader, and then they took out two detainees, two prisoners from
15 behind the wire, and they had to load these bodies into the scoop of the
16 loader for the loader to load them onto the truck. Four or five of these
17 scoopfuls had to be loaded onto one truck. Then those bodies would be
18 driven away somewhere, and then the truck would return 10 or 15 minutes
19 later, and this happened five or six times.
20 Q. Can you describe this truck?
21 A. The truck was a FAP truck, F-A-P, it was a 19/21 model. It was a
22 loader. It's capacity was seven to eight cubic metres of loading space.
23 Q. Where was the office, where you were sleeping in that night,
24 located?
25 A. The office was on the first floor of this building here. I don't
Page 3933
1 know how deep inside it was, but it was roughly opposite the "white
2 house."
3 Q. What was the distance between you and the corpses, the whole
4 scene? Approximately.
5 A. The closest bodies were at a distance of 20 metres perhaps, and
6 those furthest away were behind the "red house," as far as I could see. I
7 couldn't see well, but I could see a little thanks to the lamps that were
8 lighted next to the "white house." So the greatest distance was 70 metres
9 between me and the bodies furthest away from me.
10 Q. How many times a day were you used to being fed?
11 A. As a rule, we ate once a day. However, if we were moved and if
12 the timetable was changed and if we were last in order, the last two or
13 three groups in order would get nothing that day, so that over a period of
14 two weeks, there was a great possibility of going without any food for one
15 day during that two-week period.
16 Q. Were you beaten during your meals?
17 A. Yes. During meals, people had to run, and entering the canteen
18 there was a bend, and they would pour water on the ground. People would
19 slip and fall. They would be beaten and then go and eat like that. And
20 coming back from the canteen, they had to make this bend again, and again
21 they would fall and again they would be beaten. There would be groups of
22 30 going to the canteen to eat. Everything had to be done very quickly.
23 When they said, "That's it," we will to leave regardless of whether you
24 had finished your meal or not.
25 Q. How long did you stay in Omarska?
Page 3934
1 A. I stayed in Omarska a little under two and a half months.
2 Q. And then where were you confined?
3 A. Then a fatal transport occurred. A selection of people in
4 Omarska, of people who were sent to Trnopolje, another group to Manjaca,
5 and a last group remained as a showcase for the public, to show them that
6 this was a small centre, that it was no concentration camp, that it was an
7 investigation centre. Then two days later, after representatives of the
8 International Community visited them, the doctors without frontiers who
9 got a good impression of people being fed regularly, being free to move,
10 being able to wash and bathe, then a large group was transferred to
11 Manjaca and an equally large group to Trnopolje.
12 We travelled for a long time to Manjaca. We left just before
13 nightfall, and I don't remember exactly for how long, late into the
14 night. During the trip the buses were stopped, and individuals were asked
15 to get off. Why and by whom I don't know. There were little lists going
16 around and notes, but nothing unusual happened before we reached Manjaca.
17 We all spent that night in buses. The camp commander would not let men
18 get off the buses at night, so we had to spend the night in the buses.
19 In the morning, we were all forced off the buses. Then again
20 lists were being made. People could already have been recognised. We all
21 had to squat to be searched, and then a certain number of people from that
22 group were separated to one side and killed some 50 metres away from us.
23 They were later loaded onto a bus and thrown next to the Vrbas River at
24 Banja Luka. We heard this later from people who had relatives in Banja
25 Luka, that those bodies were found and that they were buried.
Page 3935
1 Q. Thank you very much.
2 MR. PIACENTE: Your Honour, with the help of the usher, can
3 Witness AM be shown Exhibit 377D? It is a diagram.
4 Q. Witness AM, looking at this diagram, can you please point to the
5 room, the place from which you saw the guards shooting the prisoners from
6 Hambarine?
7 A. Could you please turn the picture around by 180 degrees? I'm not
8 sure whether it was this office or this one.
9 Q. Can you tell us the numbers? Yes, there are some letters and
10 numbers on the place that you pointed. Can you tell us which numbers are
11 they? Which numbers did you point to?
12 A. It says B19 here and B18, I think.
13 Q. Okay. Can you please point to the room where you were usually
14 confined, the electricity workshop?
15 A. B14.
16 Q. Thank you very much.
17 MR. PIACENTE: Can Witness AM be shown Exhibit 382.
18 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Excuse me for interrupting you,
19 but for the record, we have to say that it is Exhibit 3/77 to make sure
20 that things are quite correct. It's not 377 but 3/77. Otherwise, we will
21 run into problems. Thank you.
22 MR. PIACENTE: Thank you very much, Your Honour. As well, I think
23 that the exhibit that is now being shown to Witness AM is 3/82. Is that
24 correct?
25 JUDGE RODRIGUES: Yes.
Page 3936
1 MR. PIACENTE: This is the exhibit I was looking for. Thanks.
2 Q. Witness AM, can you point to the room from which you said that you
3 saw the guards shooting the prisoners from Hambarine?
4 A. Roughly here.
5 MR. PIACENTE: Is it possible for the witness to mark with a pen
6 the place that he has identified? Okay. I withdraw the question.
7 Thanks. Sorry.
8 Q. Can you identify, can you point, please, to the place where you
9 saw the bodies lying down?
10 A. The bodies were lying around the "white house," in this area, and
11 behind the "red house."
12 MR. PIACENTE: Thank you very much. No more questions for the
13 moment.
14 JUDGE RODRIGUES: You have no more questions.
15 MR. PIACENTE: No more questions for the moment.
16 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Now is the time for the
17 cross-examination, but I see it is almost 11.00. So perhaps we should
18 have a break now and then resume for the cross-examination. In that way,
19 the Defence will have sufficient time to prepare.
20 Witness, please don't move for the moment. The usher is going to
21 pull down the blinds.
22 [The witness stands down]
23 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] So we're going to have a
24 half-hour break now.
25 --- Recess taken at 11.00 a.m.
Page 3937
1 --- On resuming at 11.30 a.m.
2 [The witness entered court]
3 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Please be seated.
4 Mr. Simic, what is going to be the order of the cross-examination,
5 please?
6 MR. K. SIMIC: [Interpretation] Your Honour, Mr. Fila and myself
7 will be the only ones to cross-examine the witness; first Mr. Fila and
8 then myself. The rest of the Defence team have no questions for the
9 witness.
10 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Very well. Thank you,
11 Mr. Simic.
12 Witness AM, you're now going to answer questions that will be put
13 to you by Mr. Krstan Simic.
14 Mr. Simic, you have the floor.
15 Cross-examined by Mr. K. Simic:
16 Q. Good morning, Witness AM.
17 A. Good morning.
18 Q. I have only a few questions for you concerning your testimony here
19 and also concerning the statement that you gave to the representatives of
20 the Tribunal. You said that you had spent a period of time in Trnopolje.
21 A. Yes, I did.
22 Q. How long were you there?
23 A. Two or three days.
24 Q. Were you arrested or did you come to Trnopolje on your own?
25 A. On the third day of the shelling of Kozarac, a military vehicle
Page 3938
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Page 3939
1 came to my house and we were told to gather, all of us, from the Sora
2 street, and we were ordered to move towards Prijedor where we were
3 supposed to stay for a few days until the situation calms down. So we set
4 out for Prijedor but not alone the main Banja Luka road but via the Suhi
5 Brod village and then across the Prijedor-Banja Luka road junction in the
6 direction of the village of Orlovci. And before we reached the village of
7 Orlovci, we were taken to a side road, a dirt road, which led to
8 Trnopolje. We passed by a school, a local community centre, and this is
9 where we spent two or three nights. We were still on buses or trucks, and
10 this is how we reached Trnopolje.
11 Q. If I have understood you correctly, you were ordered to march, to
12 walk towards that location.
13 A. Initially, the idea was for us to walk. However, there was a
14 misunderstanding. We finally went to Trnopolje by buses, by trucks, and
15 other vehicles.
16 Q. You stated that you had gone to Omarska after Trnopolje. On what
17 day did you reach Omarska?
18 A. On Tuesday evening, we arrived in the Trnopolje camp, and then two
19 days later, on Friday afternoon, I was taken to Omarska.
20 Q. Could you tell us the date?
21 A. The date. I'm not sure what date it was. I know it was a
22 Friday. I could perhaps take a look at the calendar.
23 Q. What month was it?
24 A. It was in late May or the beginning of June. I cannot tell you
25 the exact date. It is either the 31st of May or the 1st of June.
Page 3940
1 Q. You told us that you had been put up in a warehouse, electrical
2 appliances warehouse, and that your room was on the first floor.
3 A. Yes, that is correct.
4 Q. Did you stay in that room throughout your stay in Omarska?
5 A. Until the 12th or the 13th of July, I slept in that room all the
6 time. After that, the door of the office was broken into, so during the
7 night I would go to that office and spend the night there. The room was
8 on the same floor in the same corridor, at the end of the corridor; that's
9 where the office was. I would never stay there during the day, only
10 during the night. Throughout my stay there, I was on the same floor and
11 the same corridor.
12 Q. The room in which you were at that time, did it have any windows,
13 and if so, how many and how big were they, if you can tell us that?
14 A. You mean the big warehouse or the office?
15 Q. The room where you spent your days.
16 A. The room had very large windows looking on one side, and the
17 windows went along the wall, covering the whole length of the room.
18 Q. What about the glass on those windows of that room, was it
19 transparent?
20 A. Yes, it was. There was a railing which was perhaps one metre and
21 one metre 20 centimetres high, and there was a glass pane above. I don't
22 know whether there was another railing above that one, but the windows
23 were rather large.
24 Q. So you're telling me that there was one railing. You're not sure
25 about the other one. Try to remember the room, and if you can, could you
Page 3941
1 please tell us how high was that closed area without glass?
2 A. If I compare it to a human being, it was a little above the waist.
3 Q. Where did the windows look onto?
4 A. The windows were facing the meadow, between the "red house" and
5 the "white house."
6 Q. So you were able to see both houses?
7 A. Yes, if I looked to the left, I could see the "red house." If I
8 looked to the right-hand side, I could see the "white house."
9 Q. You stated that after the 12th of July, you moved to another room
10 which had been broken into. Could you tell us about the windows in that
11 room?
12 A. It was the same kind of windows. They were rather large and also
13 had a railing, a window sill.
14 Q. What about the view from those windows?
15 A. I was somewhat closer to the "white house" in that room. From
16 that other room I couldn't see the "white house" directly, only if I
17 looked towards the right-hand side could I see the "white house."
18 Q. Let me go back to the room where you spent your time up to the
19 12th of July. From that room, were you perhaps able to see the entrance
20 door to the "white house"?
21 A. Yes. Yes, I could see that.
22 Q. Witness AM, during your stay in the first room, during the day,
23 how much time would you spend outside these rooms?
24 A. Well, I would go out for lunch and when I went to the toilet.
25 Q. Where was the toilet located?
Page 3942
1 A. At the beginning, we had two toilets on the same floor, but they
2 were closed down after awhile and were not being used. Later on, we were
3 using the toilet which was on the ground floor of the big hall near a
4 staircase which led outside from that building.
5 Q. If I understand you correctly, the toilet was inside the large
6 hangar building.
7 A. Yes, it was inside this building.
8 Q. Thank you. You mentioned your interrogation. You also told us
9 the circumstances about that interrogation. My question in relation to
10 that is the following: Was the individual who was beating you during the
11 interrogation under the authority of the investigators?
12 A. Yes, he was.
13 Q. You also testified that other individuals had been interrogated as
14 well.
15 A. Yes, in the adjacent room.
16 Q. Witness AM, do you have any knowledge, any information whether
17 during those days or after your interrogation, whether there were any
18 releases of detainees who had been interrogated, and if so, what was it
19 all about?
20 A. People were interrogated in great numbers in groups on a daily
21 basis, and at the end of the day, a group of people would be called out
22 which would subsequently be transferred to Trnopolje. This went on for
23 the first ten days, and after that, even that stopped and not a single
24 person was released before the closing down of the camp.
25 Q. So some people were transferred from Omarska to Trnopolje after
Page 3943
1 the interrogation?
2 A. Yes.
3 Q. Thank you.
4 A. You're welcome.
5 Q. I should like to discuss your statement, the statement that you
6 gave to the investigators of the Tribunal. Did you talk to the
7 representatives of the Office of the Prosecutor?
8 A. Some time ago, quite awhile ago.
9 Q. What do you mean by that, "awhile ago."
10 A. Well, in 1994. Yes, I gave a statement in 1994.
11 Q. On that occasion, did you talk to Mr. Keegan?
12 A. I don't remember the names of those people at all.
13 Q. Did you give that statement on your own?
14 A. Yes, I did.
15 Q. On your own free will?
16 A. Yes, I did.
17 Q. Did you talk about everything you could remember at that time?
18 A. Yes. My recollection was much better in those days.
19 Q. Yes. Let us discuss the period of time before your arrival in
20 Trnopolje. You spoke at some length in that statement about the events in
21 Kozarac, about the arming of the population and similar events. Were
22 there any military or paramilitary organisations in Kozarac prior to the
23 attack on Kozarac?
24 A. There were two men who were in Kozarac who were detained, who had
25 been in detention and were criminals, and declared themselves as soldiers,
Page 3944
1 and they bought some weapons from Serbs. They organised two or three
2 small groups of people, according to the ideas that they had at the time.
3 They played war games and certain things happened after that.
4 Q. Witness AM, did they have any uniforms?
5 A. Well, they had uniforms that they had bought from the army. Those
6 were camouflage uniforms. Sometimes they would wear them and go out.
7 Sometimes they wore civilian clothes. They did that as they pleased.
8 They acted on their own.
9 Q. Do you remember their names or nicknames?
10 A. Yes, I do. I remember Kole, Ramiz Cirkin, for instance.
11 Q. Did you know the person by the name of Sead Cirkin?
12 A. I didn't know Sead Cirkin personally. He was an officer of the
13 former JNA. He had come to Kozarac sometime prior to the war, and he put
14 every single male name on the list of members of the army of Bosnia and
15 Herzegovina. However, an army without tanks or rockets or soldiers is
16 just a dead letter on paper.
17 Q. In your statement, you mentioned the weapons that belonged to the
18 Territorial Defence.
19 A. Yes, I did.
20 Q. Could you remember the number, the quantity of those weapons?
21 A. The weapons consisted mainly of very old Tandzara rifles, M-48
22 rifles, that's what they called them. And the rest of the weapons had
23 been withdrawn a few months prior to that to the barracks in Banja Luka.
24 The Territorial Defence had very few rifles left and most of them were
25 very old rifles, 50 years old.
Page 3945
1 Q. Witness AM, you have stated that your recollection was much better
2 in those days, which is perfectly understandable. Let me quote from page
3 11 of your statement.
4 "The Territorial Defence has distributed a number of weapons.
5 Part of those weapons had been illegally bought from Serbs. A number of
6 people had simply carried those weapons with them in the woods where they
7 were hiding themselves. Some of that weaponry was taken to Croatia, and
8 it is believed that the army of the Territorial Defence had about 400
9 automatic rifles and a few pieces of hand-held rocket launchers. One
10 individual from the army had to register the number of weapons possessed
11 by everyone. It was one of my neighbours and a commander of one of the
12 groups that I have mentioned before. He learnt that the Territorial
13 Defence had about 400 pieces of weapons."
14 A. I don't think I've ever said anything about hand-held rocket
15 launchers, and I don't think that I said that the weapons had gone to
16 Croatia. As regards the number, yes, that is familiar to me, 400 pieces
17 of weapons.
18 Q. In your statement, you also spoke about a great number of people
19 who had bought weapons. Was that the case? Was there any illegal traffic
20 of weapons at that time?
21 A. Yes.
22 Q. Did you buy a rifle for yourself, in view of the circumstances?
23 A. Yes, I did.
24 Q. What kind of rifle was it?
25 A. It was an automatic rifle.
Page 3946
1 Q. Did you ever request a permit for that rifle?
2 A. No, I didn't.
3 Q. Do you know of any other similar cases, other people from your
4 community who acted the same way?
5 A. Well, if you have a number of 400 rifles, then you probably had
6 400 rifle owners, but I didn't know them personally.
7 Q. Witness AM, let me go back to Kole's and Ramiz's groups, as you
8 call them. When did they come into existence?
9 A. I couldn't tell you that.
10 Q. Well, could you perhaps situate it in time in respect of the
11 attack on Kozarac?
12 A. Well, then a couple of months before the attack.
13 Q. Thank you. In your statement, you stated that those groups had
14 killed some Serbs.
15 A. I don't know whether that is correct. I was never present at any
16 such incident.
17 Q. Let me go back once again to the beginning, and this will be the
18 end of my cross-examination.
19 As regards the ethnic composition of the people who were members
20 of those two paramilitary or military formations and the formation which
21 was created by Sead Cirkin, what was the ethnic composition of those
22 people?
23 A. Most of them were Muslims. There were several Croats there
24 perhaps. The Galiani people were also there but they were sitting on the
25 fence for a while. They didn't know which way to go. Finally they sided
Page 3947
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Page 3948
1 with the Serbs.
2 Q. As regards your transfer from Trnopolje to Omarska, how did that
3 occur?
4 A. Two individuals in uniform arrived in a car with the list of
5 people they were looking for. Five people were being looked for. They
6 found three people and three of us were taken to Omarska. This is how we
7 were transferred to Omarska.
8 Q. How were you taken there?
9 A. We were taken in a red Jugo 45 vehicle.
10 Q. You mentioned two individuals in uniform. Judging from their
11 uniforms, which group did they belong to? Were they members of the
12 police, of the army, or some other group?
13 A. I don't know exactly. They were not active duty soldiers or
14 active duty policemen, so I really wouldn't know which army they belonged
15 to.
16 Q. Does it mean that they were not members of the active police
17 force?
18 A. No, they were not active duty policemen.
19 Q. During the transport from Trnopolje to Omarska, were you
20 mistreated in any way?
21 A. No. We were only threatened while we were in Kozarusa. A man who
22 was at the checkpoint was looking for us. He wanted us to be taken out of
23 the car. He wanted to slaughter us, and he said that we didn't need any
24 interrogation, but that was all.
25 Q. That is, you were not mistreated or tied by your escort?
Page 3949
1 A. No, we were not.
2 Q. Thank you very much, Witness AM. This concludes my
3 cross-examination.
4 MR. K. SIMIC: [Interpretation] Thank you, Your Honour.
5 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Thank you very much, Mr. Simic.
6 Mr. Toma Fila has the floor now. Your witness, Mr. Toma Fila.
7 MR. FILA: [Interpretation] Thank you, Mr. President. I shall be
8 brief.
9 Cross-examined by Mr. Fila:
10 Q. Good morning to you. My name is Mr. Toma Fila. I'm an attorney
11 from Belgrade, and together with my colleague, Jovanovic, I'm defence
12 counsel for Mladjo Radic.
13 If I understood you correctly, you described the events on the eve
14 of St. Peter's Day, and you were looking from the first room.
15 A. I can show you on the model.
16 Q. It is the room you showed the Prosecutor?
17 A. The office, no. Not from the office. I watched this event from
18 the office with the people from Hambarine.
19 Q. But the event on St. Peter's Day from another room. So you were
20 transferred there?
21 A. No. I could move freely between the office and that room along
22 the corridor of 20 metres or so. The distance was some 20 metres.
23 Q. You've confused me I'm afraid. Is it the room you find yourself
24 in after being transferred on the 12th of July?
25 A. From the 12th of July or, rather, two or three days later, I would
Page 3950
1 occasionally sleep in the office.
2 Q. And was it then when the event occurred with the fire?
3 A. It was on the 11th of July in the evening.
4 Q. So on today's day?
5 A. Yes, to be quite precise.
6 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Mr. Fila, the interpreters are
7 asking you to make pauses, please.
8 MR. FILA: [Interpretation]
9 Q. Where was the fire burning in relation to the "white house"?
10 A. In front of the "white house." Maybe a metre or two away. It
11 wasn't in front of the entrance. To one side.
12 Q. You said you recognised only one person called Marmat.
13 A. No. On that occasion I didn't recognise anyone. We're not
14 talking about the same incident.
15 Q. Then my question is why you didn't recognise anyone. In other
16 words --
17 A. I didn't know these people. I have never known them, with the
18 exception of this Marmat. It was quite dark, and I didn't know those
19 people. I could recognise Marmat because he had this exceptionally fair
20 hair and he was there.
21 Q. So the reason that you didn't recognise them was the fact that you
22 didn't know them and not poor visibility.
23 A. Well, visibility contributed to it, but you could see what men
24 were doing. You couldn't read any letters on them, but you could see what
25 an individual was doing.
Page 3951
1 Q. Did you give a statement to the Prosecutor on the 26th of August
2 and the 30th of August, 1994?
3 A. I did.
4 Q. Let me read you a passage: "Zivko Marmat was there throughout,
5 but I don't know whether he was next to the fire."
6 A. So?
7 Q. I see. So you abide by this statement?
8 A. Yes.
9 Q. So the fire was lit that evening. What happened the next morning
10 when the fire stopped burning?
11 A. Nothing.
12 Q. Did you see any body there?
13 A. There was this pile left, the black ashes from the tyre, but what
14 was there, nobody went to look.
15 Q. This Cirkin, is his name Siad or Sead, or are there two people?
16 A. The man who knew him and who watched the event with me said he was
17 the brother of Captain Cirkic who wanted to organise the defence in
18 Kozarac. What his first name is, I really don't know. It was his
19 brother.
20 Q. When you were watching this fire of the truck tire, did anyone
21 else see that?
22 A. Yes. This man who told me the name of this man.
23 Q. What name is his? What is his name?
24 A. Muhamed Cirkic, known as Krimi.
25 Q. You spoke about food.
Page 3952
1 A. Yes.
2 Q. That you had to eat it up quickly.
3 A. Yes.
4 Q. You also said two groups wouldn't have time to eat.
5 A. Two groups that were the last in order, the order was changed
6 every day, and sometimes I was never the first to leave the room. I tried
7 to be the last so as not to wait long in queue, so there were times when
8 I, myself, got nothing to eat that day.
9 Q. But why didn't you have time to get your food?
10 A. The food ran out. They ran out of food. That was the answer we
11 were given.
12 Q. Was the reason why you had to eat quickly to give you all a chance
13 to eat?
14 A. I don't know what the reason was.
15 Q. You told us that your memory was fresher when you gave that
16 statement?
17 A. Certainly.
18 Q. Why in the statement then did you not mention that when you were
19 going to eat and coming back from your meals that you were beaten?
20 A. That statement, if I were to tell the whole story, would go on
21 indefinitely.
22 Q. "We went in groups of 30 because that is the number of plates and
23 cups they had." That's what you said in your statement?
24 A. Is that important?
25 Q. The Judges will judge whether it is important, not us. You said
Page 3953
1 you went in groups of 30 and that you couldn't see anyone.
2 A. While we were waiting, we had to face the wall on the other side
3 of this building. We had to face the wall. And while we were eating, you
4 had to eat quickly and have your head bent down and not look around.
5 Q. You spoke about this other event involving the people from
6 Hambarine.
7 A. Yes.
8 Q. You watched that incident from the office?
9 A. From the office, yes.
10 Q. What was the visibility like?
11 A. It was summertime.
12 Q. What time of day?
13 A. It was a nice clear night, a summer night. In the summer it's
14 never totally dark, and there was a light in front of the "white house,"
15 so you could see quite well. You couldn't recognise a face, but you could
16 see a group of people lying down, the shots being fired at those people.
17 This was readily visible.
18 Q. So you couldn't recognise a face?
19 A. No, not of the guards, with the exception of this Marmat who had
20 this exceptionally light-coloured hair, and he was the only one that I
21 could identify by his hair.
22 Q. Was there a light in front of the "red house" perhaps?
23 A. What side do you mean? From the way I was looking at it, in
24 front? Is that what you mean?
25 Q. Whichever side, there are four sides to a house. Was there a
Page 3954
1 light on any of those sides?
2 A. I do not remember.
3 Q. What part of the "red house" and the "white house" was in your
4 plane of vision?
5 A. I had the front facade of the "white house" and the backside of
6 the "red house."
7 Q. Could you explain then how you managed to see the bodies on all
8 four sides of the white house?
9 A. If you're looking through the window, you can see over the "white
10 house" bodies lying on the asphalt pista, and around the "white house" I
11 could see around the three sides. Most of the bodies lay between the
12 "white house" and the "red house" on the grass there.
13 Q. My last question: Were you personally beaten during your stay
14 there?
15 A. Only during my interrogation, and a couple of times I got a blow
16 as we ran for food. That was all.
17 Q. Thank you very much.
18 MR. FILA: [Interpretation] Thank you very much, Mr. President.
19 A. You're welcome.
20 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Mr. Piacente, do you have any
21 re-examination?
22 MR. PIACENTE: No thanks.
23 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Thank you very much.
24 Judge Riad.
25 JUDGE RIAD: Thank you, Mr. President.
Page 3955
1 Questioned by the Court:
2 JUDGE RIAD: Witness AM, can you hear me?
3 A. Yes.
4 JUDGE RIAD: I have a few questions, perhaps to see things more
5 clearly. You mentioned at the beginning of your testimony, that you had
6 to pay money in order not to be killed, I mean the detainees. Anybody
7 could have been killed if they didn't pay money, or were some people on
8 the list to be killed?
9 A. Some people were killed because of money, and there were lists
10 that were compiled on the basis of other criteria from which people would
11 be taken out, and from then on they would go missing to the present day.
12 JUDGE RIAD: So to your knowledge, some people were just killed
13 because they did not pay money?
14 A. That, among other things.
15 JUDGE RIAD: Now, you said that you had 15.000 Deutschemarks at
16 home, and you drew a diagram and they went, and they said they didn't find
17 it. What happened to you when they didn't find it, or was it just a
18 pretext and they did find it?
19 A. Nothing happened to me after that. I was told, "Apparently your
20 family has taken away your money." It's a shame they didn't find it, they
21 said, because they would have given me some to buy something to eat,
22 though I personally think that the money was found, because after that,
23 they never bothered me nor looked for me.
24 JUDGE RIAD: Now, with regard to St. Peter's Day and the bonfire
25 where they threw the large tyre. You saw, in fact, people thrown inside.
Page 3956
1
2
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25
Page 3957
1 You mentioned even Captain Cirkic's brother. Were you close enough to see
2 who it was?
3 A. The fire was a big one, and one could clearly see a man being
4 pushed into the fire. What the distance was, I couldn't say. You
5 couldn't see the face of the man, you could just see the silhouette of the
6 man. You could hear the screams very well.
7 JUDGE RIAD: Was it only one man, or was it several people thrown
8 in?
9 A. I was present when one was pushed in. What happened before that
10 and after that, I don't know, but the laughter and the screams could be
11 heard for a long time before I looked and after I had looked.
12 JUDGE RIAD: Laughter and screams at the same time?
13 A. Yes.
14 JUDGE RIAD: Now, speaking of the people you saw being shot
15 between the "white house" and the "red house," what you call the people
16 from Hambarine, what made you go out at night? Was it allowed for you
17 detainees to go and walk out, or did you hear voices to bring you out?
18 A. I didn't go out. I just woke up and raised my head a little to
19 look through the window to see what was happening outside.
20 JUDGE RIAD: And they were not far away from your window. Were
21 they close enough to see the whole incident?
22 A. The incident was more or less over when I woke up.
23 JUDGE RIAD: You mean you heard the shots.
24 A. Yes. That's what woke me up.
25 JUDGE RIAD: That's what woke you up. And you saw what you said,
Page 3958
1 "when the brains were like milk." You saw that too?
2 A. I did.
3 JUDGE RIAD: Clearly? You could see that clearly from your room?
4 A. I saw that quite clearly, white powder coming out of the head to
5 one side.
6 JUDGE RIAD: What part of the night was that? Was it ...
7 A. It was after midnight, about 2.00.
8 JUDGE RIAD: But there was enough light to see all of that?
9 A. Not for a hundred per cent clear visibility, but the number of
10 people you could see afterwards when they were loaded into the scoop and
11 onto the truck.
12 JUDGE RIAD: Did you see the loading too?
13 A. I did.
14 JUDGE RIAD: Now, also another question concerning what you call
15 the fatal transport to Trnopolje, and you were included in that
16 transport?
17 A. Did I say fatal for Trnopolje or for Manjaca?
18 JUDGE RIAD: Well, all right. You said Trnopolje and Manjaca.
19 A. I don't know which transport you want me to comment on.
20 JUDGE RIAD: All right. The transport where they brought people
21 down and they were being killed 50 metres away from the bus. Were you in
22 the bus?
23 A. Yes. That happened at Manjaca.
24 JUDGE RIAD: And you saw the killing or you heard the shots?
25 A. We were all forced to squat on a large field of grass, and then
Page 3959
1 these men were taken some 50 or 60 metres, away from us, next to the
2 buses, which were empty at the moment. Then we heard screams when those
3 men were beaten with various objects. This didn't last long. We had to
4 look to the ground and continue squatting there in that field.
5 JUDGE RIAD: These people were chosen from your bus?
6 A. I don't know who was in my bus that night. But anyway, when we
7 were all taken off the buses, then out of this large crowd of 1.500 people
8 maybe, they were selected from that large group.
9 JUDGE RIAD: You have no idea what was the basis of the
10 selection? Was it random or was it lists which were already prepared?
11 A. I don't know what it was really, but they were mostly well-known
12 persons, businessmen from Prijedor.
13 JUDGE RIAD: You mean -- what you call "well-known," is the people
14 among the elite of the society or among the militant who were fighting, if
15 you knew?
16 A. They were not fighters. They were business people.
17 JUDGE RIAD: Thank you very much.
18 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Thank you very much, Judge Fouad
19 Riad.
20 Madam Judge Wald.
21 JUDGE WALD: Witness AM, you said that you actually saw one man,
22 though you didn't recognise him, being thrown into the fire or pushed into
23 the fire. That's right? You could actually --
24 A. Yes.
25 JUDGE WALD: -- see only one man.
Page 3960
1 A. Yes.
2 JUDGE WALD: And the next day, you said that you just saw ashes
3 there. You didn't see any burnt corpses or bodies, did you?
4 A. Yes.
5 JUDGE WALD: Did you see any persons or prisoners walking around
6 with any burns on them, any burnt prisoners?
7 A. I did not.
8 JUDGE WALD: Okay. During the period you were in Omarska, I think
9 over two months or something along those lines, during that period of
10 time, did you get to know any of the people in charge in Omarska, any of
11 the -- you mentioned Marmat as one guard. Did you know any of the other
12 guards or officials by name, nickname?
13 A. I heard from an active-duty policeman that his colleague from
14 work, an active-duty policeman, Kvocka by surname, was for a time the
15 commander, leader, warden, whatever you like, of the camp. Afterwards, he
16 was replaced. According to rumours among people who knew him, he
17 apparently was married to a Muslim, that he tried to protect a certain
18 number of Muslim people, and this was taken against him and he had to
19 leave his position. He was then replaced by another person surnamed
20 Meakic. I didn't know either of them before, nor in the camp, to be able
21 to identify them.
22 JUDGE WALD: Okay. Thank you.
23 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Thank you very much,
24 Judge Wald.
25 Witness AM, I only have one question for you. Is there something
Page 3961
1 that you would like to say and which still hasn't been asked of you?
2 THE WITNESS: [Interpretation] I would like the people who
3 committed crimes in this war, regardless of which ethnicity they belong
4 to, be they Muslim, Serbs, or Croats, to be brought before justice and
5 punished as an example to future generations, for such things not to
6 happen again as happened to us.
7 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] We are all here to achieve that
8 goal and we share your wishes. I think there are no exhibits to be
9 tendered. I think that all the exhibits have already been tendered. So
10 I'm going to ask the usher to close the blinds before the witness leaves.
11 Just a moment. Excuse me. Mr. Simic?
12 MR. K. SIMIC: [Interpretation] Your Honour, in line with the
13 decisions we have taken, I would have two or three questions, because
14 Their Honours, I think Judge Wald, touched a subject that was not touched
15 upon during the examination and cross-examination. So if I may be allowed
16 to ask a couple of additional questions.
17 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] You need additional information
18 from the witness?
19 MR. K. SIMIC: [Interpretation] Yes, Your Honour, linked to the
20 question by Her Honour, Judge Wald.
21 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] I think the issue was very
22 lightly mentioned, but all right, please put your question.
23 MR. K. SIMIC: [Interpretation] Thank you, Your Honour.
24 Cross-examined by Mr. K. Simic:
25 Q. Witness AM, in answer to a question by Judge Wald and by
Page 3962
1 Judge Riad, I would have a question for you.
2 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Mr. Simic, only the question of
3 Kvocka, not the question of money; that's over. We discussed the question
4 of money. So the question that you could legitimately ask has to do with
5 the mention of Mr. Kvocka by the witness, only that.
6 MR. K. SIMIC: [Interpretation] Thank you, Your Honour.
7 Q. Witness AM, what was the name of the active-duty policeman who
8 gave you this information?
9 A. Hamdija Arifagic. He was working in Omarska, and his colleague
10 was Kvocka.
11 Q. Thank you.
12 A. You're welcome.
13 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] The Prosecutor. Do you have any
14 additional questions on this point?
15 MR. PIACENTE: No thanks.
16 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Very well. Now the usher can
17 lower the blinds. Witness, you have finished your testimony. Thank you
18 very much for coming, and we wish you a safe journey to your place of
19 residence.
20 THE WITNESS: [Interpretation] Thank you.
21 [The witness withdrew]
22 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Ms. Hollis, if you please.
23 MS. HOLLIS: Your Honour, the next witness will testify in open
24 session, and it's Nusret Sivac.
25 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] I'm looking at the clock, and if
Page 3963
1 we begin now with the testimony, then the break is very shortly. If we
2 have a half-hour break now, then we have another hour and a half to work,
3 which is quite acceptable. So maybe this is a good time to have a break
4 and then we will resume after that, after a half-hour break.
5 --- Recess taken at 12.25 p.m.
6 --- On resuming at 1.00 p.m.
7 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Yes. You may be seated.
8 [The witness entered court]
9 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Mr. Nusret Sivac, can you hear
10 me?
11 THE WITNESS: [Interpretation] Yes, I can.
12 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Could you please read the solemn
13 declaration now.
14 THE WITNESS: [Interpretation] I solemnly declare that I will speak
15 the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
16 WITNESS: NUSRET SIVAC
17 [Witness answered through interpreter]
18 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] You may be seated. Are you
19 comfortable, sir?
20 THE WITNESS: [Interpretation] Yes, I am.
21 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Very well then. You're now
22 going to answer questions that will be put to you by Madam Hollis.
23 Madam Hollis, you have the floor.
24 MS. HOLLIS: Thank you, Your Honour.
25 Examined by Ms. Hollis:
Page 3964
1 Q. Sir, for the record, would you please state your name?
2 A. My name is Nusret Sivac.
3 Q. What is your date of birth and your place of birth?
4 A. I was born on the 19th of August, 1947 in Prijedor.
5 Q. What is your ethnicity?
6 A. I'm a Bosniak Muslim.
7 Q. From 1973 until 1989, did you work in Prijedor for the police?
8 A. Yes. I worked for the public security service.
9 Q. And did you work in the communications centre?
10 A. Yes, I did. It was called the centre for communications and
11 crypto-security.
12 Q. And what were your duties there?
13 A. That is one of the key departments of the public security
14 service.
15 Q. And, sir, what did you do there?
16 A. I was an operative.
17 Q. I'm sorry, I don't understand operative. What exactly did you
18 do?
19 A. In the communications centre, the main area of activity were
20 written communications which were conducted through various types of
21 messages and memoranda. The communication with other Security Services on
22 the area of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the former Yugoslavia was also
23 carried out through radio communications and special telephone
24 communications which were part of that communications centre.
25 Q. So you were one of the operators for that communication.
Page 3965
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20
21
22
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25
Page 3966
1 A. Yes, I was.
2 Q. Did you know a policeman by the name of Miroslav Kvocka?
3 A. Yes, I did.
4 Q. How long had you known him in 1992?
5 A. I knew him well enough. He came to work for the security service
6 in Prijedor some ten years. That is, I'd known him for about ten years
7 before 1991.
8 Q. And how often would you have contact with him?
9 A. Well, as much as I needed to contact him for my work.
10 Q. Did you know his wife and her family?
11 A. I knew her much better than I knew him. He was born on the same
12 street and we grew up together in the same street.
13 Q. And did you know her brothers?
14 A. Yes, I knew them very well.
15 Q. Did you know a woman by the name of Slavica Lakic?
16 A. Yes, I did.
17 Q. And did she work at the Prijedor police station?
18 A. Yes. She was a secretary and typist, and she worked at the public
19 security service in Prijedor.
20 Q. And during the time you worked at the public security service, did
21 you ever see Slavica Lakic and Kvocka come to work together or leave work
22 together?
23 A. Yes, from time to time.
24 Q. Did you know a policeman by the name of Mladjo Radic?
25 A. Yes, I did.
Page 3967
1 Q. And how long had you known him?
2 A. I knew him for much longer than I knew Kvocka. I knew him in 1983
3 when I joined the public security service.
4 Q. Sorry, you joined the public security service in 1983 or 1973?
5 A. 1973.
6 Q. How frequently would you have contact with Mladjo Radic?
7 A. Well, I would see him as often as I needed to see him for my work,
8 for the work that we did together.
9 Q. Was he known by any nickname?
10 A. Krkan.
11 Q. Did you know a man by the name of Drago Prcac?
12 A. Yes, I did.
13 Q. And how did you know him?
14 A. I knew him in 1973, when I came to work for the public security
15 service.
16 Q. And to your knowledge, what was his position in the police?
17 A. He worked in the crime department. He was a crime technician. He
18 would conduct on-site investigations.
19 Q. How often would you have contact with him?
20 A. Very often, as often as the nature of our work required.
21 Q. During the time period 1973 to 1989, did you also work as a
22 cameraman for the local television station and sometimes write articles
23 for the local media?
24 A. Yes, I did.
25 Q. During that time, did Drago Prcac ever ask you to film programmes
Page 3968
1 about Omarska?
2 A. Yes, he did, on one or two occasions. Upon his recommendation, we
3 went there and we made a programme about the life and the work of people
4 in the village of Omarska.
5 Q. Did you observe the attitude of the people of that area towards
6 Mr. Prcac?
7 A. The people there, like myself, had a great deal of respect for
8 Drago Prcac.
9 Q. Did you know a policeman by the name of Zeljko Meakic.
10 A. Yes, I did.
11 Q. And how long did you know him?
12 A. I knew him because we worked together for the security service.
13 He worked as a policeman in the police station in Omarska most of that
14 time.
15 Q. Why did you leave the police in 1989?
16 A. Because of the atmosphere that had been created in the
17 communications centre. In other words, the then chief of the
18 communications centre wanted to cleanse ethnically that most vital part of
19 the security service.
20 Q. And who was this chief?
21 A. The chief was Milos Jankovic.
22 Q. And you say that he wanted to cleanse this communications centre
23 ethnically. What groups did he want to rid the centre of?
24 A. Of Bosniak Muslims.
25 Q. After you left the police and until April of 1992, did you
Page 3969
1 continue to work as a cameraman and sometimes write articles for the local
2 media?
3 A. Yes, I did.
4 Q. And did you continue to cover the events that were happening in
5 opstina Prijedor?
6 A. Yes, I did.
7 Q. Did you know a man named Dule Jankovic?
8 A. Yes, I did.
9 Q. And how did you know him?
10 A. We worked together at the security service in Prijedor.
11 Q. And in 1992, if you know, what was his position?
12 A. He was the police commander in Prijedor.
13 Q. Now, if you know, based on your observations, did Mr. Jankovic
14 work in cooperation with the SDS?
15 A. Yes, he did.
16 Q. Did you know a man by the name of Marko Dzenadija?
17 A. I did.
18 Q. And how did you know him?
19 A. He too was an employee of the security service.
20 Q. If you know, what was his position in 1992?
21 A. I think that he was the deputy commander of the traffic police.
22 Q. Based on your observations, if you know, did Mr. Dzenadija work in
23 cooperation with the SDS?
24 A. Yes, he did.
25 Q. In 1992, where did you live?
Page 3970
1 A. In Prijedor.
2 Q. And in 1992, were you married?
3 A. Yes, I was.
4 Q. Did you have children?
5 A. I had two children.
6 Q. And what were their ages?
7 A. My daughter was 11 and my son was 6 years old.
8 Q. What property did you have in 1992?
9 A. I had a large apartment in the very centre of the Prijedor town,
10 and I had a cottage house with a two-hectare orchard some kilometres away
11 from Prijedor.
12 Q. Did you also have a vehicle in 1992?
13 A. Yes, I did. I had a Ford Escort.
14 Q. I'd like to draw your attention to the 10th of June of 1992. Were
15 you arrested on that date?
16 A. Yes, I was.
17 Q. By whom were you arrested?
18 A. I was arrested by Bato Kovacevic and a reserve policeman whom we
19 referred to as Brkan.
20 Q. And were you taken to the SUP and then from there to Keraterm?
21 A. Yes, I was.
22 Q. What other people were taken to Keraterm with you?
23 A. Together with me in the police van was a judge from the municipal
24 court in Prijedor, Omer Kerenovic, and a private caterer, Safet
25 Ramadanovic, and Ivica Muntijan was there as well.
Page 3971
1 Q. Ivica Muntijan, what was his ethnicity?
2 A. He was a Croat.
3 Q. And what was his occupation?
4 A. He was a doorman at the court.
5 Q. While you were in Keraterm, did you hear a list of names being
6 called out?
7 A. Yes, I did.
8 Q. And if you know, this list of names was people from what area?
9 A. From Kozarac.
10 Q. Now, after this list of names were called out, were these people
11 and you and the others you have named taken to Omarska?
12 A. Yes, we were.
13 Q. Could you tell the Judges what happened when you first arrived in
14 Omarska?
15 A. When we first arrived in Omarska, we had to undergo the admission
16 procedure of detainees in the camp. We didn't know what it looked like.
17 Q. Did you -- I'm sorry. Go ahead, please.
18 A. Guards approached the police van at one point, and one of them --
19 later on I heard it was their boss, his name was Krkan -- took a list --
20 took the list from Tomislav Stojakvic, who had brought us to Omarska, and
21 he ordered the guards to start taking out the people from the rear part of
22 the police van.
23 Q. And these people that were taken out from the rear part of the
24 police van, what happened to them?
25 A. They were lined up against a wall and beaten.
Page 3972
1 Q. What happened then?
2 A. I don't know how, but Miroslav Kvocka appeared. He took the lists
3 that had been handed over to him by Tomislav Stojakovic, the one who had
4 driven us there, and he took the list somewhere in the administration
5 building.
6 Q. And who was it who gave the list to Kvocka?
7 A. Krle.
8 Q. Now, you testified just a moment ago that when you first arrived,
9 the driver gave a list to a man you later learned was the boss Krkan. Was
10 Krkan there when you first arrived?
11 A. No. I'm sorry, I said that Krle had been there.
12 Q. So Krle was there, took the list, and then gave the list to Kvocka
13 when Kvocka appeared; is that correct?
14 A. Yes, that is correct.
15 Q. Now, once Kvocka got the list, what did Kvocka do?
16 A. He went to the administration building.
17 Q. And what happened after that?
18 A. Approximately three groups of detainees from Keraterm were taken
19 in groups of three or four. They were lined up against a wall and then
20 beaten with various batons and clubs. Then one by one they were taken to
21 the back part of the camp. I don't know where they were being taken to.
22 Q. And what happened after that?
23 A. After that, a guard ordered us to get out of the police van.
24 Q. And after you got out of the police van, then what happened?
25 A. Tomislav Stojakvic handed over the list to Krle again, the list
Page 3973
1 containing our names who were in this last group to have arrived.
2 Q. And then what happened?
3 A. Meanwhile, Kvocka came. He took the list and again he went to the
4 administration building.
5 Q. And after he went to the administration building, then what
6 occurred?
7 A. After that, the guards took us towards the wall. They first
8 ordered us to take off our shoelaces, our belts, to take out all valuables
9 from our pockets, and Safet Ramadanovic, who was standing next to me, took
10 out some money that he had on him, and the chief whose name I learned
11 later on as being Krle, he said to him, "Cifut, you haven't brought us
12 enough money. You will have to bring more to us. We have our methods."
13 Q. Now, this name Cifut, is that a particular nickname? Does that
14 have any particular significance?
15 A. It is a derogatory name for a person who likes money.
16 Q. Then what happened after this?
17 A. Well, we simply had to stand against the wall, and they started to
18 beat us.
19 Q. Then what happened?
20 A. While they were beating us, our faces were facing the wall, and I
21 don't know how long it took. I remember the moment when I heard Kvocka's
22 voice. He shouted all of a sudden, "Who brought Nusret Sivac to the
23 camp?" At that moment, the guards stopped beating us and we turned
24 around, and Kvocka came to Tomislav Stojakovic and Brane Bolta, who had
25 taken us from Prijedor, and he told them, "Why have you brought Mr. Sivac
Page 3974
1 here? We need his sister, Nusreta Sivac, who used to work as a judge in
2 the court in Prijedor."
3 Q. And after he said that, what happened?
4 A. Then Tomo Stojakvic who had brought us there asked him, "What am I
5 going to do with him?" He said, "Wait a second. I'm going to see Mico,
6 the boss. I'll ask him what to do."
7 Q. You said that Tomo asked, "What am I going to do with him?" Whom
8 did he ask that of?
9 A. He addressed that question to Miroslav Kvocka.
10 Q. And you testified that he said, "Wait a second. I'm going to see
11 Mico, the boss." Who said that?
12 A. Kvocka said, "I'm going upstairs to see Mico, the boss, to see
13 what we are supposed to do with him." I apologise. His name is actually
14 Ranko Mijic. That is his full name.
15 Q. And, sir, what happened after that?
16 A. After several minutes, Kvocka came back and he said, "Mijic said
17 that you should take him back to Prijedor."
18 Q. And is that what happened, you were taken back to Prijedor?
19 A. Yes, I was.
20 Q. Now, that day when you saw Miroslav Kvocka in Omarska camp, do you
21 recall what he was wearing?
22 A. He was wearing a dark blue camouflage uniform.
23 Q. And do you recall anything else about what he was wearing?
24 A. That's all I remember. Yes, and he also had a dark blue beret.
25 Q. Do you recall what kind of weapon, if any, he was carrying on that
Page 3975
1 day?
2 A. He would typically carry the pump-action rifle, the so-called
3 pump-action rifle.
4 Q. Now I'd like to direct your attention to on or about the 23rd of
5 June. Were you arrested on that date?
6 A. Yes, I was.
7 Q. And by whom were you arrested on that date?
8 A. Again by the same individuals, by Ranko Kovacic, Bato.
9 Q. Were you then taken to the SUP?
10 A. Yes, I was.
11 Q. And what other arrested persons, if any, did you see there?
12 A. I saw Sifeta Susic there, together with Ago Sadikovic, and Dr.
13 Osman Mahmuljin. Tesma Elezovic was there as well.
14 Q. Did you know Ago Sadikovic?
15 A. Yes, I knew him for very long.
16 Q. And what was his ethnicity?
17 A. He was a Bosniak Muslim.
18 Q. What was his age, if you know?
19 A. He was around 40 years of age.
20 Q. And what was his occupation?
21 A. He was an employee of the security service, and he was working at
22 the crime department.
23 Q. You also mentioned a Tesma Elezovic. Did you know her?
24 A. Yes, I did.
25 Q. What was her ethnicity?
Page 3976
1 A. She was a Bosniak Muslim.
2 Q. And what was her occupation, if you know?
3 A. She was managing a restaurant on the Kozora Mountain.
4 Q. While you were in the SUP on this day, did you also see a young
5 boy being held there?
6 A. Yes, I did.
7 Q. And what was this young boy's name?
8 A. Samir Malovcic.
9 Q. What was his age?
10 A. Later on, while we were talking, he told us that he was thirteen
11 and a half.
12 Q. And if you know, what was his ethnicity?
13 A. He was a Bosniak Muslim.
14 Q. Now, while you were held at the SUP, were you men and this young
15 boy beaten there?
16 A. They beat all the men, with the exception of Sifeta Susic, and
17 Tesma Elezovic.
18 Q. So this young boy was also beaten?
19 A. Yes.
20 Q. Then were the group of you taken to Omarska camp?
21 A. Yes, we were.
22 Q. What happened when you arrived at Omarska camp?
23 A. The police van parked behind the restaurant, between the
24 restaurant and the "white house." The first to get off was Sifeta Susic,
25 and Tesma Elezovic, and they were taken away somewhere. Then from the
Page 3977
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Page 3978
1 back part of the van they ordered to us get off. However, Dr. Osman
2 Mahmuljin was in such bad shape that he couldn't get up. Then I and Ago
3 Sadikovic and this young boy had to carry Dr. Osman out of the police van
4 and lean him against the wall of the restaurant.
5 Q. What happened after you leaned him against the wall of the
6 restaurant.
7 A. He couldn't stand and he simply fell to his knees.
8 Q. What happened to you all after that?
9 A. They started to beat us for a short while, and then we were facing
10 the wall, and then someone said -- one of the guards said, "These have had
11 enough for today. We won't beat them any longer today."
12 Q. Now, when you first arrived at Omarska on this date and you were
13 taken from the van, did you see anyone there that you recognised among the
14 camp personnel?
15 A. I did.
16 Q. And who was that?
17 A. I recognised again Milojica Kos, Krle, who was again the shift
18 leader.
19 Q. And on that occasion, what, if anything, did Krle say to you?
20 A. Yes. He said, "So you've come again but this time it's not by
21 mistake."
22 Q. Now, after these beatings had ended, where were you taken?
23 A. To the garage.
24 Q. And this garage was in what building?
25 A. The garage was underneath the administration building.
Page 3979
1 Q. How long were you held in this garage?
2 A. For seven days.
3 Q. Did you see a man by the name of Muhamed Cehajic?
4 A. I did.
5 Q. What was his ethnicity?
6 A. A Bosniak Muslim.
7 Q. And if you know, what political positions did he hold in opstina
8 Prijedor?
9 A. Yes. He was president of the municipality of Prijedor.
10 Q. Was he also held in this garage with you?
11 A. He was.
12 Q. What was his condition when you saw him in the garage?
13 A. He was in a very bad state.
14 Q. Can you describe for the Judges what you mean by that?
15 A. He was standing right next to the metal doors, to the left of the
16 door. There were traces of mistreatment and beatings on his face. He was
17 very sick. The inmates around him helped him to urinate, and he would
18 urinate into a bottle that he had at his side, and I could see that there
19 was blood in his urine.
20 Q. Now, this first day that you were held in the garage, do you
21 recall Muhamed Cehajic being called out of the garage?
22 A. Yes, in the evenings.
23 Q. Did you come to know the name or nickname of the person who called
24 him out?
25 A. It was my first contact with that guard. He was short, well
Page 3980
1 built. He had his sleeves rolled up as well as his trousers. He had fair
2 hair, and he wore some strange red glasses.
3 Q. And was he known by any nickname?
4 A. I don't know, but we called him Zuti or the "yellow" one.
5 Q. Did you come to learn what shift he worked on?
6 A. I think in Ckalja's shift.
7 Q. Now, what happened or what did you hear after this man called
8 Muhamed Cehajic out?
9 A. When Professor Cehajic went out, we could hear blows, screams,
10 moans. We heard the blows. This went on I don't know exactly for how
11 long. After awhile, the door was opened and the president of the
12 municipality, Cehajic, appeared in the doorway with his head covered in
13 blood, and he said, "They ordered me to collect a hundred German marks.
14 If I don't do that, they'll kill me this evening."
15 Q. Were you able to collect this 100 Deutschemarks?
16 A. We didn't because we didn't have any on us, neither did the people
17 we found in the garage when we arrived. But Dr. Osman Mahmuljin had a
18 hundred German marks hidden somewhere, and he gave them to Muhamed
19 Cehajic, and so he saved his life, the professor's life, that evening.
20 Q. After Muhamed Cehajic was given the money, did he then give it to
21 someone?
22 A. Yes. He went outside, he left the garage, and again blows were
23 heard outside, which means that he was beaten again, but after awhile he
24 returned. Right close to the doorway he fell, and the detainees who were
25 near the door helped him come in and led him to the place where he was
Page 3981
1 before.
2 Q. Now, during this seven days or so that you were held in the
3 garage, was Muhamed Cehajic called out on other occasions?
4 A. Almost every day and every night.
5 Q. And when he would come back, what would be his condition?
6 A. Very, very bad.
7 Q. When he would come back, would you see fresh signs of beating?
8 A. Yes. There were always fresh signs of beating. Towards the end
9 of the time I was in the garage, they even tore up the jacket he was
10 wearing.
11 Q. You've testified that 100 Deutschemarks was demanded of Muhamed
12 Cehajic. During the time that you were in the garage, were demands made
13 of other detainees for money or other valuables?
14 A. Almost every night.
15 Q. And what amounts of money or what valuables were demanded?
16 A. They demanded watches most, especially Seiko watches; German
17 marks; US dollars; gold; and anything else of value.
18 Q. Who was it who made these demands?
19 A. Usually the guards.
20 Q. What would happen if you couldn't meet their demands?
21 A. Well, mostly they would take us out and beat us.
22 Q. And on what shifts did these demands and these beatings occur?
23 A. Almost in all the shifts, but mostly in the shift whose leader was
24 Mladjo Radic, Krkan.
25 Q. Now, after about seven days in the garage, were you taken out for
Page 3982
1 interrogation?
2 A. I was.
3 Q. Were you beaten during this interrogation?
4 A. No.
5 Q. Did you sign any kind of statement during this interrogation?
6 A. I did not.
7 Q. Was any kind of statement read to you?
8 A. No.
9 Q. Now, after this interrogation, were you held on the pista?
10 A. I was.
11 Q. And how long were you held there?
12 A. Until about the second half of July.
13 Q. After that, were you able to get into Mujo's room and stay there?
14 A. I was.
15 Q. And how long did you stay in Mujo's room?
16 A. Until the 6th of August, when I was transferred to the camp in
17 Trnopolje.
18 Q. Sir, thinking back to the 10th of June when you were first taken
19 to the Omarska camp, when you came to the camp did you see a flag of any
20 sort flying at the camp?
21 A. Yes. Very close to the garage there were the masts and on them
22 was a large flag of the SDS.
23 Q. When you were brought back to the camp on about the 23rd of June
24 and held in the camp thereafter, did you see this flag during that time
25 period as well?
Page 3983
1 A. I did. It was there throughout the period we stayed in the camp.
2 Q. Now, I'd like to ask you some questions about camp personnel. You
3 have testified that on the 10th of June, you saw Miroslav Kvocka.
4 A. I did.
5 Q. Now, from the time that you were taken back to Omarska on about
6 the 23rd of June until 6 August, during that time period did you ever see
7 Kvocka in Omarska camp?
8 A. I did.
9 Q. How often did you see him in the camp during this time period?
10 A. When I was on the pista, I would see him every second or third
11 day. When I went to Mujo's room, I only saw him a couple of times when we
12 went to the restaurant to eat.
13 Q. Now, on these occasions when you saw Kvocka in the camp, where
14 would he be when you saw him?
15 A. Usually he would be standing in the corridor which led to the
16 restaurant and near the door that led to the "glass house."
17 MS. HOLLIS: If the witness could please be provided with 3/77A.
18 Q. Sir, I'd like you to look at this for a moment, this diagram, to
19 orient yourself.
20 MS. HOLLIS: If that could be put on the ELMO, please.
21 Q. Now, first of all, just to be clear for the record, you talked
22 about being held in the garage for seven days. Would you point to the
23 area you called the garage?
24 A. It's this area here, A1.
25 Q. And you talked about be held in Mujo's room. Would you point to
Page 3984
1 that area?
2 A. This is, I think, A9.
3 Q. All right. Now, the times that you would see Kvocka in the camp
4 during this second period of time that you were held in the camp, you said
5 you would see him in the corridor. Could you show the Judges where it is
6 that you would see him?
7 A. Once here in A13 where the steps led upstairs to where the
8 interrogations took place, and once I saw him here too, in front of A15
9 and A16, in the area marked A13. Then I saw him once here in the area
10 marked A22, in front of the area marked A14.
11 Q. And this area marked A14, what was that area called?
12 A. The "glass house."
13 Q. Thank you.
14 MS. HOLLIS: And the usher may take the exhibit back.
15 Q. Now, during the times you saw him in Omarska, what would Kvocka be
16 doing?
17 A. Kvocka was usually with a soldier who was like his escort, who
18 always stood behind his back. He was well built, with a short cut, and he
19 would usually talk to someone.
20 Q. And what would he wear on these occasions when you saw him?
21 A. He would be wearing a camouflage uniform, and with his pump-action
22 rifle which he held like this, with gloves, leather gloves, black leather
23 gloves with the fingers cut off on top, at the end.
24 Q. Now, earlier you said that you saw him on the 10th of June in a
25 blue or a dark blue camouflage uniform. The camouflage uniform you saw
Page 3985
1 him in on these other occasions, was it also a dark blue uniform?
2 A. Mostly, yes.
3 Q. The times that you saw him in Omarska camp, what did you observe
4 about the conduct of other camp personnel toward him?
5 A. He had authority in relation to them.
6 Q. And what was it you observed to make you say that?
7 A. The guards looked up to him, treated him with respect, and also by
8 the detainees with whom he stopped to talk.
9 Q. Now, you have testified that you knew his wife's brothers. Did
10 you ever see them in Omarska?
11 A. I did.
12 Q. Where were they held in Omarska?
13 A. Usually in the "glass house."
14 Q. Did you ever see Kvocka talking with any of them?
15 A. Yes. He would take one of them out and talk to him, precisely the
16 area I have indicated.
17 Q. Now, when you saw him take one of them out and talk to this
18 person, did you ever observe Kvocka ask anyone's permission to do this?
19 A. I did not.
20 Q. You've also testified about a man. You said you later learned his
21 name was Krle, and his proper name was Kos.
22 A. Yes.
23 Q. When did you first learn that this man's nickname was Krle?
24 A. When I was held at the pista.
25 Q. And how did you learn that?
Page 3986
1 A. From the detainees who had arrived before me.
2 Q. How was it they were able to tell you that this man's nickname was
3 Krle?
4 A. I don't know, but among them was Muharem Murselovic, a man who was
5 Krle's teacher in the catering school in Prijedor.
6 Q. And you said that you learned that his proper name was Kos. From
7 whom did you learn that?
8 A. From Muharem Murselovic.
9 Q. Would you describe this Krle as you saw him in Omarska in 1992?
10 A. Well, usually he was wearing olive-grey military trousers, and as
11 a rule, he just wore an undervest, an athletic T-shirt. To me he looked
12 well built. And he regularly carried a light machine-gun.
13 Q. Do you recall what colour his hair was?
14 A. I think it was brown. He always had a short cut with a kind of
15 fringe, which was quite typical.
16 Q. Do you recall what his height was?
17 A. About 180, as far as I was able to judge. About 180, 185. I
18 don't know.
19 Q. Were you able to judge about what age group he was in?
20 A. He was young, I think, about 25. Anyway, between 20 and 30.
21 Q. While you were in Omarska, how often would you see Krle?
22 A. While I was at the pista, I would see him frequently. When I went
23 to Mujo's room, then only when I went for meals or when we were taken out
24 to spend a few minutes outside on the pista.
25 Q. What areas of the camp would you see him in? Where would he be?
Page 3987
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Page 3988
1 A. Most frequently in front of the entrance to the administration
2 building, but I would also see him touring the guards at their posts
3 around the administration building and over there near the hangar.
4 Q. Now, you have testified that Krle was a shift commander. Did you
5 come to understand the schedule of shifts at Omarska?
6 A. Yes, more or less.
7 Q. What was that schedule?
8 A. They changed every 12 hours, I think.
9 Q. What was it that you saw or heard that led you to the conclusion
10 that Krle was a shift commander?
11 A. All the things he did showed that he was coordinating, and he gave
12 instructions to the guards who were around him.
13 Q. Now, were you ever present when he gave orders to the guards?
14 A. I was not, but I could see it well from the pista.
15 Q. When you were held on the pista, if a person wanted to go from one
16 area to another, who would they have to ask permission of?
17 A. They would have to ask permission from the guards who were usually
18 there at the pista.
19 Q. And when they asked permission of the guards, what would the
20 guards tell them that they had to do?
21 A. That they would have to ask the shift leader.
22 Q. Did you ever see who that shift leader was they would then go to?
23 A. The shift leader was Krle, and then on another occasion Krkan, and
24 also Ckalja.
25 Q. Do you recall an occasion, while you were being held on the pista,
Page 3989
1 when there were too many men to fit into the restaurant building for the
2 night?
3 A. I do remember it well.
4 Q. And what happened on that occasion regarding the men who couldn't
5 fit into the restaurant building?
6 A. Krle came and ordered all those who couldn't enter the restaurant
7 and who were at the glass windows leading to the restaurant to line-up in
8 this part of the pista between the restaurant and the "white house" and to
9 be taken to sleep in the hangar.
10 Q. Were you one of those taken to sleep in the hangar?
11 A. I was.
12 Q. Now, you have mentioned two other shifts, Krkan's shift and
13 Ckalja's shift. How would you characterise the treatment of detainees on
14 all of these shifts?
15 A. In all shifts, the prisoners were mistreated, called out, taken
16 out. They wouldn't come back, which means that they were executed. But
17 somehow in Krkan's shift, things were the worst.
18 Q. When you refer to this man Krkan, who is the man you're referring
19 to? What's his proper name?
20 A. Mladjo Radic, known as Krkan.
21 Q. How often did you see him while you were at the Omarska camp?
22 A. Very frequently while I was at the pista.
23 Q. And when you saw him, where would he be?
24 A. He would also coordinate and talk to the guards, but most
25 frequently he would be at the steps next to this large glass window, and
Page 3990
1 through it he observed the prisoners on the pista.
2 MS. HOLLIS: Your Honours, at this time, I would ask that the
3 exhibit that I have marked 3/13 [sic] be provided to the witness. I have
4 copies for Your Honours. I believe that we have previously provided
5 copies of this to the Defence, but if this copy could be shown to the
6 Defence to ensure that we have.
7 Your Honours, if I misspoke, it's 3/113, 113.
8 If the witness could be shown that, please.
9 Q. Sir, if you'd take a moment to look at that, and then if it could
10 be placed on the ELMO.
11 Now, you talked about seeing Krkan most frequently at the steps
12 next to a large glass window where he was observing the prisoners. Could
13 you show the Judges what area you're talking about?
14 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Excuse me, Ms. Hollis. I think
15 there seems to be a technical problem with the ELMO. We have lost the
16 picture, so we cannot see what you're talking about. It's still not
17 there.
18 MS. HOLLIS: Your Honour, perhaps while they're trying to correct
19 that, we could go on with the questioning.
20 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Yes. I think that's a good
21 suggestion, Ms. Hollis. You can ask that question later when the
22 technicians repair the problem. So please go ahead.
23 MS. HOLLIS: Thank you, Your Honour.
24 Q. Sir, in addition to this area where this large glass area was,
25 what areas of the camp would you see Krkan in?
Page 3991
1 A. As I told you, he would tour the guards' positions. He would go
2 towards the"white house" or the hangar where the guards were stationed and
3 where we, the detainees, were put up.
4 Q. And when you saw him, what we be doing?
5 A. He would be giving instructions to the guards, who would then
6 separate the detainees, those who had to go clean something or perform
7 some other manual work in the camp.
8 Q. Now, you've referred to the shift as Krkan's shift. What was his
9 position, if you know?
10 A. He was a shift leader.
11 Q. What did you see or hear to lead you to conclude that he was a
12 shift leader?
13 A. I could tell it by the way he behaved. The guards had to obey him
14 and had to comply with his orders.
15 Q. Did you come to recognise any of the guards who worked on Krkan's
16 shift?
17 A. Yes, I did.
18 Q. And today, do you recall the names or nicknames of any of those
19 guards?
20 A. I remember certain nicknames such as Pop, Sole, Paspalj, Savic.
21 I've forgotten others.
22 Q. When you say "Paspalj," to your knowledge is that a nickname or a
23 real name?
24 A. I think it's a surname.
25 Q. And "Savic," to your knowledge, that a nickname or a proper name?
Page 3992
1 A. It's a surname.
2 Q. Now, this guard Pop and Sole, where would you say them most often
3 in the camp?
4 A. Usually they would be standing across from the entrance to the
5 Mujo's room, but very often he would also come to the area leading up to
6 the administration building.
7 Q. When you say "very often he would also come to the area leading up
8 to the administration building," who are you talking about?
9 A. Pop, about Pop, the guards, and Sole.
10 Q. And the guards Paspalj and Savic, where would you see them?
11 A. Most often they would be at the entrance near the staircase
12 leading to the restaurant and the administration building where the
13 interrogations were conducted.
14 Q. Now, you have testified that Krkan's shift stood out among the
15 shifts as perhaps being the worst shift. What would happen on his shift
16 to lead you to say that?
17 A. During the time when Krkan's shift was on duty, most of the people
18 would be taken out, mistreated, beaten up, valuables would be seized such
19 as watches, gold, money. They did it openly and in a very rough way.
20 They didn't try to hide it.
21 Q. Did you ever see Krkan himself engage in any of this conduct such
22 as calling people out?
23 A. Yes, I did. He would sometimes call people out. He would do so
24 from the area in front of the entrance.
25 Q. In front of the entrance to what?
Page 3993
1 A. To the administration building where the interrogations were
2 conducted.
3 Q. Now, these people who were called out, did all of them come back
4 after these call-outs?
5 A. Some came back and some came back in bags or blankets.
6 Q. And you said some came back in blankets or bags. What would be
7 their condition?
8 A. They would be either badly beaten up or simply dead.
9 Q. Now, we spoke a little bit earlier about Krle's shift. Did you
10 come to recognise any of the guards on Krle's shift?
11 A. Yes, I did, one guard in particular, who would very often be in
12 the area between the restaurant and the "white house."
13 Q. Today can you recall the names or nicknames of any of those
14 guards?
15 A. It's hard for me to recall. Not really.
16 Q. Thank you. Sir, you've also talked about Ckalja's shift. How did
17 you come to know who Ckalja was?
18 A. I first came to know Ckalja, unfortunately, in the Omarska camp.
19 Q. How was it that you knew that this particular person was called
20 Ckalja?
21 A. From the detainees who had arrived before me and who had spent
22 some time on the pista.
23 Q. And how often would you see Ckalja in the camp?
24 A. Likewise, very often. He walked around the camp more often than
25 other shift leaders.
Page 3994
1 Q. Did you come to recognise guards who worked on his shift?
2 A. I came to know Zeljko Marmat "Zuti" and a person by the surname of
3 Pavlic, I think.
4 Q. Did you ever see Drago Prcac in Omarska?
5 A. Yes, I did.
6 Q. And how often would you see him in Omarska?
7 A. At the beginning, not very often. However, later on I saw him on
8 a number of occasions.
9 Q. And in what areas of the camp would you see him?
10 A. Well, he too would come down and tour the rooms where the
11 detainees were put up, but most often I would see him in the room which
12 had an antenna on one of its windows, an antenna that served to establish
13 radio communications. That room was above Mujo's room.
14 Q. When you would see Prcac in the camp, what would he be doing?
15 A. I don't know exactly, but in the month of July, he carried some
16 kind of lists, carried them around, and sometimes he would read out names
17 from those lists and sometimes he would give them to the guards to read
18 out the names. People who were taken out from Mujo's room, from the
19 pista, or from the garage would be then lined up on the area in front of
20 the building, in front of the pista. Then a kind of selection would take
21 place. Some people would move from the garage to the hangar and the other
22 way round.
23 Q. Do you recall an occasion in Omarska where you saw Drago Prcac
24 with a cameraman that you recognised?
25 A. Yes. It was Slavisa Djukanovic.
Page 3995
1 Q. When you saw Prcac and this other man on that occasion, what were
2 they doing?
3 A. They were filming something around the camp.
4 Q. And in what areas of the camp did you see them filming?
5 A. At the beginning, they were in the area between the restaurant and
6 the "white house," and after that they moved to the area between the
7 hangar and the "white house," and after that they went to the area behind
8 the hangar.
9 Q. If you know, what was Drago Prcac's position in the camp?
10 A. According to what I know, he was the deputy commander of the
11 Omarska camp.
12 Q. What did you see or hear in the camp to lead you to conclude
13 that?
14 A. At that time, that is, from mid-July or thereabouts, for all the
15 work that needed to be done, and when I say that I'm referring to the
16 permissions for transfer of detainees from one room to another, a guard
17 had to be approached. Then the guard would usually say that he had to go
18 and see Drago Prcac and to ask if that could be done.
19 Q. Do you recall an occasion when Mujo wanted to bring a prisoner
20 from the "white house" into Mujo's room?
21 A. Yes, I recall it very well.
22 Q. What did Mujo have to do to bring this prisoner from the "white
23 house" into Mujo's room?
24 A. He asked a guard whether he could go to the "white house," because
25 during the day a person by the name of Smail Duratovic, who had been taken
Page 3996
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Page 3997
1 out from the restaurant, was beaten up there, and he was in Mujo's room
2 together with his father. One of the women passed on a message saying
3 that if Mujo doesn't come to fetch Smail Duratovic in the"white house,"
4 that the latter would be liquidated during the night.
5 Q. Now, from whom did Mujo have to get permission to bring Smail to
6 Mujo's room?
7 A. First he had to approach the guard who was there in the area
8 outside Mujo's room, and the guard said, "You have to wait. I have to go
9 and ask Prcac about that."
10 Q. Was this transfer allowed?
11 A. Yes, it was.
12 Q. When this man came into Mujo's room, could you see what his
13 condition was?
14 A. He was in a poor condition. He had countless injuries on him. He
15 had been placed in a large truck tyre which was then set on fire, so his
16 body was charred, and you could clearly see burns on his face and his
17 arms.
18 Q. How did you learn that he had been placed in this large truck
19 tyre?
20 A. That is what he told us. And the women who were in the restaurant
21 could also see this.
22 Q. Did he tell you when it was that he had been put in this large
23 truck tyre?
24 A. It happened some time in the afternoon. He was going for lunch,
25 he was among the last ones in the group, and he was recognised by one of
Page 3998
1 the guards, and the guard took him out and did it.
2 Q. When you would see Drago Prcac in Omarska camp, what would he be
3 wearing?
4 A. Most often he would be wearing a blue police uniform.
5 Q. Did you know a man named Nenad Lakic?
6 A. Yes, I did.
7 Q. And how did you know him?
8 A. He used to work with us at the security service in Prijedor.
9 Q. And what was his relationship, if any, to Slavica Lakic?
10 A. He was related to her. Slavica's husband, Bosko, is Nenad Lakic's
11 brother.
12 Q. While you were held in Omarska, did you ever see Nenad Lakic in
13 Omarska?
14 A. Yes, I did, very often.
15 Q. And do you know what his duties were there?
16 A. He worked as an interrogator upstairs in the interrogation rooms.
17 Q. And did you ever see Slavica Lakic in Omarska?
18 A. Yes, I did.
19 Q. And if you know, what were her duties in the camp?
20 A. She was working in the administration of the camp. She's a typist
21 by occupation, so she was probably typing records of interrogations of
22 detainees.
23 MS. HOLLIS: Your Honour, do we know if the problem with the ELMO
24 has been corrected? Yes?
25 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] Yes, I think it has been
Page 3999
1 corrected. At least we can see the photograph on the ELMO.
2 MS. HOLLIS:
3 Q. Now, sir, earlier you talked about seeing Krkan in this window
4 area. Could you show the Judges what window area you're talking about?
5 A. It is this area here, A21, above A21.
6 Q. And that window area was what? Was that the stairwell up to the
7 first floor of the restaurant building?
8 A. Yes. These stairs led to the rooms where interrogations took
9 place, and the area here had very large glass panes on it.
10 Q. And you're pointing to that clear area above A21; is that
11 correct?
12 A. Yes. This is the area that I would see Krkan very often, but I
13 also saw him at these windows here, at the windows of the interrogation
14 rooms.
15 Q. And you're pointing to windows on the first floor of the
16 restaurant building on the side that the garage is on?
17 A. Yes. Yes, I am.
18 Q. Now, you also said that two of the guards that worked on Krkan's
19 shift would often be in front of the administration building. Can you
20 show us on this exhibit where those guards would be? You talked about
21 Paspalj and Savic.
22 A. They would usually be here near these pillars.
23 Q. And you're talking about the support pillars for the canopy over
24 the administration building?
25 A. Yes, that is correct.
Page 4000
1 Q. Now, if the witness could also be provided with Exhibit 104,
2 please.
3 Now, you also -- could you take a moment to look at that.
4 MS. HOLLIS: That could also be placed on the ELMO, please.
5 Q. Now, you also talked about two other guards, Pop and Sole, that
6 you said were located somewhere near the entrance to Mujo's rooms. Could
7 you show the Judges where their normal location was?
8 A. At this area here.
9 Q. And you're pointing to an area that is across from a door on the
10 model on the garage side of the restaurant building; is that right?
11 A. Yes. So that they could control both the garage and Mujo's room.
12 Q. Was there any sort of vehicle or structure that was normally there
13 in that area?
14 A. Yes, there was. A van would always be parked here in this area,
15 which had no doors on it. And there was an area covered with some
16 branches which was supposed to protect the guards from rain and sunshine.
17 Q. And when you would see these two guards near this kombi and this
18 covered area, what would they be doing there?
19 A. Well, most often they would provoke people, verbally abuse them.
20 They would cock their rifles. They would provoke us most while we were
21 lining up in this area here, as we were leaving Mujo's room while going
22 out for lunch.
23 Q. As you look at the photograph, that would be the area to the left
24 of the door in the middle of that side of the building?
25 A. Yes. This is where we would be lined up, in front of Mujo's room,
Page 4001
1 against this wall here. We would be lined up in groups of 30 to go to
2 have our meals.
3 Q. Now, you also talked about seeing Drago Prcac at the window of a
4 room that had an antenna sticking out of the room. Where was that room
5 located?
6 A. That room was located above the room where we were, that is, above
7 Mujo's room. Here in this area roughly.
8 Q. So those would be the windows above and to the left of the doorway
9 that you pointed to?
10 A. Yes, yes.
11 Q. Thank you. Sir, I'd like to --
12 MS. HOLLIS: Your Honour, I'm going to move to a series of
13 incidents that I will ask the witness about. Do you want to commence the
14 incidents now or do you want to commence them tomorrow morning?
15 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] How much time do you need
16 approximately, Ms. Hollis?
17 MS. HOLLIS: Your Honour, I think I have another half hour to 45
18 minutes with this witness.
19 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] In that case, it is better that
20 we adjourn for the day and continue tomorrow morning, except that we have
21 to be here again at 4.00, but not the witness, of course.
22 Mr. Usher, could you please help the witness out of the
23 courtroom.
24 Witness, we will see you again here tomorrow at 9.30.
25 [The witness stands down]
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Page 4003
1 JUDGE RODRIGUES: [Interpretation] 4.00 we will be here again. It
2 will be a public session, so we will be wearing robes.
3 --- Whereupon the hearing adjourned at 2.25 p.m., to
4 be followed by a Status Conference
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