Witness describes atrocities committed by "Šešelj’s boys“

Witness VS-1013 said “Seselj’s boys“ abused and murdered Muslims in Zvornik, and stole their property. At the trial of Vojisalav Seselj at the Hague Tribunal, protected witness VS-1013, a Zvornik Muslim imprisoned by Serb forces after attacking and taking the town on May 4, 1992, told the trial chamber that “Seselj’s boys“ from Kraljevo, led by “Duke Cele“ had abused prisoners, one of whom died after a beating, while another was slaughtered. Witness describes atrocities committed by "Seselj’s boys“ He also described the looting of an abandoned house in Zvornik instigated by a certain “Major Toro“. Furniture, construction material, and a whole workshop were taken away, said the witness, adding that he had been forced to help move things out of his own house. Seselj said that he did not deny that “grave crimes were committed in Zvornik“ and that the witness was a victim, though he would challenge his “identification“ of the perpetrators. The witness said that between May and mid-June 1992, he had been imprisoned in the head office of the Zvornik clothing factory, and then at Ekonomija and Ciglana in nearby Karakaj. The whole time, “Seselj’s boys“, “Cele’s dukes“ and members of the “military police“ from Loznica, who were known to him formerly as criminals, meted out beatings to the prisoners. One night at Ekonomija, said VS-1013, “Duke Cele“ came by with some people, threatening to execute the prisoners. They then brought out one older Muslim, accusing him of being an ustasha and of “having a ’U’ tattooed on his body.“ “They beat him, and we listened... we kneeled down, our top halves naked, because Cele ordered us to ’pray to Jesus, because we were Serbs’... The old man was eventually barely able to crawl back and told us: ’Kids, say halal, I’m out of here.’ And he died there and then,“ recalled the witness. He also described how, later, one of “Seselj’s boys“, called Pufta, had murdered a prisoner, Ismet Cirak, at a brick factory in Karakaj. “Pufta came with two other ’Seselj boys’, Sava and Sasa, and took Ismet away, saying that they were going to kill him... I was by the window and heard Sava and Sasa laughing and telling Pufta to stop messing about, and that he should stop before it was too late... Sasa then came back and said that he could kill a man, but not torture him like Pufta... Sava came after him and said that Pufta was cutting him up with a blunt knife, and that he had offered him a sharp one,“ recalled VS-1013. A few minutes later, the witness said, Pufta appeared with a bloody knife and ordered one of the prisoners to go out and wash the knife. When he came back, the prisoner was pale and said that Pufta really had slaughtered Ismet. He said that Pufta had cut a tattoo of a half-moon and a star out of one Muslim’s arm, having previously forced him to set fire to the tattoo himself. Describing the looting of Zvornik houses in which he had been forced to participate by helping load trucks bound for Belgrade with the plunder, VS-1013 said that, on one occasion, he had seen Major Toro hand Pufta are large bundle of German marks and a Serb Radical Party membership card. When he was transferred from Zvornik to Batkovic camp near Bijelina in mid-May 1992, the witness was told by fellow prisoners of the atrocities committed by “Seselj boys“, "Major Toro", Zoks, Pufta, Repic against Muslims in the House of Culture in Celopek. The defendant will cross-examine the witness when the trial resumes today.

Witness describes atrocities committed by "Šešelj’s boys“

He also described the looting of an abandoned house in Zvornik instigated by a certain “Major Toro“. Furniture, construction material, and a whole workshop were taken away, said the witness, adding that he had been forced to help move things out of his own house.

Šešelj said that he did not deny that “grave crimes were committed in Zvornik“ and that the witness was a victim, though he would challenge his “identification“ of the perpetrators.

The witness said that between May and mid-June 1992, he had been imprisoned in the head office of the Zvornik clothing factory, and then at Ekonomija and Ciglana in nearby Karakaj. The whole time, “Šešelj’s boys“, “Ćele’s dukes“ and members of the “military police“ from Loznica, who were known to him formerly as criminals, meted out beatings to the prisoners.

One night at Ekonomija, said VS-1013, “Duke Ćele“ came by with some people, threatening to execute the prisoners. They then brought out one older Muslim, accusing him of being an ustasha and of “having a ’U’ tattooed on his body.“

“They beat him, and we listened... we kneeled down, our top halves naked, because Ćele ordered us to ’pray to Jesus, because we were Serbs’... The old man was eventually barely able to crawl back and told us: ’Kids, say halal, I’m out of here.’ And he died there and then,“ recalled the witness.

He also described how, later, one of “Šešelj’s boys“, called Pufta, had murdered a prisoner, Ismet Ćirak, at a brick factory in Karakaj.

“Pufta came with two other ’Šešelj boys’, Sava and Saša, and took Ismet away, saying that they were going to kill him... I was by the window and heard Sava and Saša laughing and telling Pufta to stop messing about, and that he should stop before it was too late... Saša then came back and said that he could kill a man, but not torture him like Pufta... Sava came after him and said that Pufta was cutting him up with a blunt knife, and that he had offered him a sharp one,“ recalled VS-1013.

A few minutes later, the witness said, Pufta appeared with a bloody knife and ordered one of the prisoners to go out and wash the knife. When he came back, the prisoner was pale and said that Pufta really had slaughtered Ismet.

He said that Pufta had cut a tattoo of a half-moon and a star out of one Muslim’s arm, having previously forced him to set fire to the tattoo himself.

Describing the looting of Zvornik houses in which he had been forced to participate by helping load trucks bound for Belgrade with the plunder, VS-1013 said that, on one occasion, he had seen Major Toro hand Pufta are large bundle of German marks and a Serb Radical Party membership card.

When he was transferred from Zvornik to Batković camp near Bijelina in mid-May 1992, the witness was told by fellow prisoners of the atrocities committed by “Šešelj boys“, "Major Toro", Zoks, Pufta, Repić against Muslims in the House of Culture in Čelopek.

The defendant will cross-examine the witness when the trial resumes today.