War crimes trial of former JNA Major Vojislav Medić continues

The former Major in the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) was arrested in June of last year, on the border between Croatia and Serbia. He is accuses of having committed war-crimes against Croatian POWs from mid-November 1991 to August 14th, 1992, on the territory of Serbia, as an interrogator in the Stajićevo, Sremska Mitrovica and Niš concentration camps, where hundreds of captured members of the Croatian armed forces were brought from Croatia and imprisoned.

The trial of former Yugoslav People's Army Major, Vojislav Medić, who is accused of war crimes against Croatian prisoners of war in Serbian concentration camps, continued at the Osijek County Court on Thursday with testimony from Member of Croatian Parliament, Stipo Mlinarić, who was detained in Serbian camps.

In his statement, Mlinarić said that he was captured on November 19th, 1991 in the Borovokomerc Company facility in Vukovar, and taken to Sremska Mitrovica and then Stajićevo by bus together with other captured Croatian defenders. He noted that during the journey members of the JNA repeatedly beat and abused them, using batons, cables and rifle butts: "After I was transferred to the military prison in Niš, it was here that Croatia achieved international recognition on January 15th, 1992. We didn't know about it at the time, but the soldiers beat us all night and in the end they made us lie down in the corridor while they walked over us," Mlinarić added.

Mlinarić told the court that during his internment in the camps he was interrogated several times, including four or five times following his transfer from the Niš camp to Sremska Mitrovica. It was here that he was interrogated two or three times by Vojislav Medić, who introduced himself by rank, first and last name, and as his interrogator: "He wanted to know where and how Blago Zadro (the commander of Vukovar's defenses) was killed and who ordered the trench to be dug in Hercegovačka Street in Vukovar, from which we were shooting tanks on Trpinjska Street," Mlinarić said, adding that he cannot say for sure that Medić had personally beat him, but he can confirm that he was beaten so violently by two soldiers in his presence, that he collapsed out of his chair as a result.

"During the second interrogation, Medić told me that I would never leave the camp, and if I did, I would be the last to leave, and that was the case because I was exchanged in the last exchange on August 14th, 1992," Mlinarić added.

At the end of his testimony, Mlinarić turned to Medić and told him that he had forgiven him for everything: "I don't hate you, I don't wish harm on anyone, I only want the verdict to be fair, so that this never happens to anyone again, not even to the Serbian people who were misled and sent into a senseless war."

In response to this, Medić turned to Mlinarić and laughed, after which he was issued a warning by the presiding judge, Mirko Ljubičić.

Another witness, Miroslav Josić, also presented testimony to the court today, noting that during his stay in the Serbian concentration camps, he was beaten several times. Josić said that while Medić had not beaten him personally, he knew that he was involved in beating other prisoners, including his brother Tomislav Josić. The trial will continue with testimony from additional witnesses.

Source: HRT