Gasal et al: Beaten up in hospital

27 August 2008  A Prosecution witness speaks about beating of her son in the premises of Bugojno military hospital.

Bosiljka Kasalo, who testified as a Prosecution witness at the trial of the four indictees who are charged with crimes against Bosnian Croats from Bugojno, confirmed that her son Milenko was beaten up in the military hospital, "on the first night after having been brought there from the 'Iskra' stadium detention camp". He was transferred to the hospital because he had had some injuries, which needed treatment.


"I worked in the hospital as a cleaning lady. When he was brought there he told me: 'Do not leave me alone, as they will beat me up. Take me back to jail'. I told him that he was safe there, but they beat him up on the first night. They hit him with infusion tubes," Kasalo said in a shaky crying voice.


The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina charges Nisvet Gasal, Musajb Kukavica, Enes Handzic and Senad Dautovic with crimes against more than 300 Croatian civilians, who were detained in the "Iskra" stadium detention camp in 1993 and 1994. The indictment alleges that Gasal was manager of the detention camp and Kukavica was commander of security at the time.


The witness said that she did not know who had beaten her son during his stay in the hospital, adding that a patient, who stayed in the same room as her son, told her that "those men had something pulled over their faces" and they beat up other patients as well.


"A woman named Halima saved my son from having been beaten up again, because she informed the doctor of what was happening. After the doctor intervened, a policeman guarded the room for the next two days. Nobody beat him up any more. He stayed in the hospital for the next twenty days," Kasalo said, adding that her son was then returned to the stadium.


The witness said that, besides Milenko, her two other sons were detained at the "Iskra" stadium for a while, adding that she took them some food occasionally, but "some guards" did not allow her to give the food to her sons.


The witness told the Court that, at the beginning of the conflict between the Bosnian Army and Croatian Defence Council, HVO, she was detained in a house for fifteen days, but she was released after having been examined. Five or six days later she was asked to go back to work.


Second Prosecution witness Stjepan Rados, former detainee at the "Iskra" stadium, said that he was detained "on July 25 or 26, 1993", shortly after the HVO units had surrendered to the Bosnian Army in Bugojno.


Rados said that he was first detained in a garage, together with about 40 other persons. Ten days later he and two or three other prisoners were allegedly transferred to the police station in Bugojno, where they were detained in the detention premises.


"One evening guards took me and a few other prisoners from the detention premises to the local ambulance in order to donate blood. After having taken one bottle of my blood, they took me back to jail. Nobody asked me if I wanted to donate blood," Rados said.


The witness claims to have been transferred from the Police Station detention unit to "Vojin Paletic" school building, where his father was detained as well. He was not able to say how long he stayed in the school building. The witness said that he was transferred from there to the "Iskra" stadium. While he was there he was taken to other locations to perform forced labour, as per a list read by "indictee Kukavica".

Describing the conditions at the "Iskra" stadium, the witness said that they "were not good for any man", adding that they used to receive one meal per day.


"I once asked detention camp manager Nisvet Gasal if I could take a bath. He did not let me do it. I do not remember what his reasons were. Later on guards would escort us, when we went home to take a bath. I do not know who gave a permission for that," the witness said.

The trial is due to continue on September 3.