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Date:         Thu, 13 Aug 1992 18:27:36 -0500
From:         "Velibor M. Marenovic" <VMARENOVIC@MACALSTR.EDU>
Subject:      Prisoners statement
X-To:         mideur-l%ubvm.bitnet@ksuvm.ksu.edu

I received following fax couple of minutes ago. Pay attention on part
describing preparations before alleged bombing of bread-line. Person's name is
witheld because most of his family is still in the part of Sarajevo under
Muslim control.

Velibor

>
> Serbian Council Information Center
> Safarikova 7, YU-11000 Belgrade
> Phone: ++38-11-321-108
> Fax: ++38-11-320-156
>
>
>
> DEPOSITION 1
>
>
> On June 1 1992 I was arrested by six members of the green berets. I was in
> the apartment of one (Mrs.) Vera Zagorac, JNA 56/I street, drinking coffee,
> when they broke into the apartment, arrested me without any explanation,
> and subsequently informed me that I was arrested for possessing alleged
> weapons.
>
> They first took me to the student hostel "Mladen Stojanovic", in Radiceva
> street 40, and after that to the Central prison in Sarajevo, where I spent
> 10 days (June 1-10, when I was exchanged).
>
> I was not beaten in prison, but several times every night members of green
> berets used to come in and threaten to cut me up, slit my throat and such
> like.
>
> In jail, I was alone at first, but later on they brought (Mrs.) Milica
> Baros and others. Later on, (Mrs.) Milica Elez, maiden name Zirojevic, born
> in 1941 in the village of Dubljevici, municipality of Gacko was also
> brought in. She remained in jail after we were exchanged, and as far as I
> know, she is still in jail. She was arrested in her garden while digging
> potatoes, and was frequently beaten in jail. They gave us no water from
> Friday evening, around 8 PM until Wednesday - they gave us water on
> Wednesday. This was particularly hard on Milica, who is a diabetic.
>
> In jail, on Friday, June 5 1992, in the room next to ours, a grandmother
> from Romanija (in peasant clothing) died. She was often beaten in her cell.
> She was very old, I don't know exactly how old, perhaps about 90 years.
>
> At nights, the guards usually beat up the menfolk and women, especially
> after 10 PM. Everyone who came out with me had blood on their clothes. The
> bed covers in our cell were also soaked with blood, there was blood
> everywhere.
>
> In the cell I was taken to, there was a bomb under the bed. When I noticed
> it, I threw it our of the window deactivated, in fear that it was being
> planted on me.
>
> I was an eyewitness of the attack on the YPA Hall (Dom JNA) in Sarajevo,
> May 2 1992. (Mrs.) Saliha Karadzic falsely testified on TV that the YPA
> attacked the bus full of civilians in the JNA Street, as the attack was
> performed by the green berets, which I saw with my own eyes because I
> happened to be on the street at that time. The green berets shot from
> behind a news stand, from the Liberation square (Trg oslobodjenja) and from
> the building No. 40 in the JNA street, where the municipality of Stari grad
> offices are situated. This attack was subsequently assigned to the Yugoslav
> People's Army. The attack was prepared by Emin Svrakic and Hadzibajric,
> president of the Stari Grad municipality.
>
> I was also an eyewitness of the Vasa Miskin street massacre. About forty
> minutes beforehand they forbade passage through this street from the Muslim
> Slav part of the town, while allowing passage from other parts of the city.
> They were preparing the ambulance and the TV report truck. I saw this from
> the window of my apartment, noticing that passage was forbidden from one
> side of the town. The TV report truck were by the Sarajevo city market,
> allegedly reporting on the market. The same moment the explosion occurred
> on the street, they began the TV report. For that day, they transported
> bread and ice cream to that street. I knew some of the people who were hurt
> in that alleged artillery attack. I heard only the explosion, but not the
> sound of mortar shells in flight. Stretchers and ambulances were prepared
> beforehand, and there were other vehicles parked in front of my house just
> before the explosion.
>
> In the Vase Pelagica street 10 where I lived, up on the roof in the
> apartment of Redza Bahrovic, snipers from Sandzak gathered. He and his son,
> Enes, threatened to slit my throat.
>
> In the police station in Svrakino Selo, Novi grad municipality of Sarajevo,
> there is a torture chamber for the Serbs. Vaso Baros was taken there and
> nothing is known about him. The other /torture chamber - trans./ is in the
> police station of Lugavina and in on the premises of the mountaineering
> society "Treskavica" and in the "Evropa" hotel.
>
> I was exchanged on June 10 1992 on the Vrbanja bridge, 18 of us, five women
> and twelve men, among them a grandpa, for 17 Muslim Slavs or Croats, I
> don't know. After the exchange, from Grbavica I went to Pale. I heard that
> members of the green beret corps had moved into my apartment.
>
>
> Belgrade, August 10, 1992
>
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