Bosniak Ex-Fighters Tried for Abusing Serb Civilian Prisoners

The trial of Zijad Srabovic, Refik Morankic, Ahmet Bajric, Abid Arapcic, Senaid Cosic, Pasaga Cajic, Samir Dzambic and Mirsad Zilic, who are charged with the inhumane treatment, torture and murder of civilians detained in the city of Lukavac and nearby Modrac from June to October 1992, opened at the Bosnian state court in Sarajevo on Tuesday.

Srabovic, the former assistant commander for security at the local Territorial Defence force headquarters, and former military policemen Bajric, Cajic, Dzambic and Zilic are accused of committing crimes at the secondary school in Lukavac, where they beat and tortured Serb civilians with electric shocks. One of the prisoners died.

They are also accused of abusing two prisoners, Aziz and Radenka Sahat, who were held at the elementary school building in Lukavac because they had radio equipment and allegedly collaborated with the Bosnian Serbs.

According to the charges, the military policemen beat Aziz Sahat and forced him to run around the school gym naked, while Srabovic told him: "You'd better admit [the offence]. I cannot get them under control. They will kill you."

Srabovic has also been charged with having committed and failed to prevent inhumane treatment, torture, murder and the unlawful detention of civilians.

Morankic is accused in his capacity as an employee of the Territorial Defence headquarters in Lukavac and commander of a military unit known as Fiko's Unit and as a member of the Croatian Defense Council in Modrac, as well as being the commander of the Klaonica detention facility in Modrac.

He is accused of setting up the unit and the prison, ordering the unlawful detention of civilians, and committing, enabling and failing to prevent torture, murder and inhumane treatment.