Prosecution witnesses in the trial for crimes committed against Croats from Bugojno testified about their surrender following the conflict between the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) and how they were taken to dig trenches and beaten daily, reported Birn BiH.
Željko Miloš recounted that in July 1993, he was with the Military Police in Bugojno and recalled the conflict lasting seven to eight days, after which HVO members, including himself, surrendered to the Army of BiH and were then taken to a furniture showroom where they were beaten.
He added that the military or brigade police took them to dig trenches near the positions of the Army of Republika Srpska. According to the witness, they were first taken to Crniće and then to Prusac. He stated that he knew it was the police of the Army of BiH because they had belts, and he recognized some of them from when they had joint checkpoints.
Miloš testified that after Prusac, certain individuals named Duvnjak and Sijamija took them to “BH Bank,” where there was “unprecedented torture,” “abuse,” and where they were beaten every two hours. He said he was in a basement room and couldn’t see who was beating him with rifles and planks because he lost consciousness multiple times from the blows.
He mentioned having injuries to his ribs, kidneys, a skull fracture, and that with him were Jadranko Gvozden, who collapsed from the blows, and Ivo and Niko Miloš.
“Šabić, the police commander, and another driver arrived, put us in a Mercedes passenger vehicle, and took us to Rostovo,” Miloš said, then recounted how their vehicle broke down upon arrival, and they continued on foot.
According to him, Ivo Miloš could not walk, which made Šabić say he would “slit his throat,” prompting the witness to strike a guard and start running away, eventually hiding near a “concrete spring” where he stayed until morning.
“Someone came, shined a flashlight, but I was in the water for a few hours until dawn,” the witness stated, adding that he then headed towards Radovan and fled for eight days.
During cross-examination, the witness confirmed hearing people speaking Arabic in Rostovo and seeing a bearded man while hiding. He confirmed that he had handcuffs on his hands for five days while fleeing, which he removed in Potočani. He denied being in uniform and having weapons while fleeing through the forest.
Miloš confirmed that he managed to reach the demarcation line where he was wounded by the HVO.
In response to the Court of BiH, the witness stated that he had broken fingers as a result of the beatings and that he was in Prusac in the fall, possibly in September.
He testified in the trial of Dževad Mlaćo, accused as the president of the War Presidency of Bugojno, and Selmo Cikotić, former commander of the Western Operational Group of the Army of BiH. Mlaćo is accused of ordering the killings of Croatian prisoners, and Cikotić of failing to prevent his subordinates from committing crimes and for not taking measures against the torture and killing of prisoners of war.
Mario Franjić testified that he was a member of the HVO and that on July 18, 1993, he was at home when the conflicts began in Bugojno. He stated that the surrender to the Army of BiH happened five days later.
He recounted being held in a camp at the “Iskra” Stadium, from where guards took them to the front lines.
The witness recalled the second half of September, when about twenty of them were taken to the “Pajić Polje” Elementary School and went to work daily, mostly to the village of Duratbegović Dolac near the front lines, where they dug trenches and were subjected to daily mistreatment.
Franjić recalled having to push a barrel towards the HVO with another prisoner, which soon exploded, leading to mutual gunfire and putting their lives at risk. He added that the two of them were under constant threat. He also remembered the day when three prisoners managed to escape, which led to increased torture, beatings with boots and rifle butts, and interrogations.
The trial continues on July 2./HMS/