SPLIT, Oct 11 (Hina) - A Split County Court investigating judge on Thursday heard a witness in an enquiry regarding tortures and crimes committed in the Lora military prison in 1993. A former military police officer, Mario Barisic,
from Sibenik, said that during one of his visits to the prison's C block he noticed nine prisoners wearing uniforms of the former Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), some of whom were making gurgling sounds as if their tongues had been cut off, while some were missing ears and eyes. "They were all deformed," Barisic said. His superior officer, Tvrtko Pasalic, who took Barisic to the C block together with other military police officers, said "you will now see prisoners who have not been registered anywhere and with whom you might do whatever you want," Barisic testified. When he visited Lora for the second time, Barisic said he saw none of the prisoners he had seen the previous time. When he asked about their whereabout
SPLIT, Oct 11 (Hina) - A Split County Court investigating judge on
Thursday heard a witness in an enquiry regarding tortures and
crimes committed in the Lora military prison in 1993. A former
military police officer, Mario Barisic, from Sibenik, said that
during one of his visits to the prison's C block he noticed nine
prisoners wearing uniforms of the former Yugoslav People's Army
(JNA), some of whom were making gurgling sounds as if their tongues
had been cut off, while some were missing ears and eyes.
"They were all deformed," Barisic said. His superior officer,
Tvrtko Pasalic, who took Barisic to the C block together with other
military police officers, said "you will now see prisoners who have
not been registered anywhere and with whom you might do whatever you
want," Barisic testified.
When he visited Lora for the second time, Barisic said he saw none of
the prisoners he had seen the previous time. When he asked about
their whereabouts, military police officers said two had been
exchanged for Croatian soldiers, and seven had been killed and
thrown into a pit.
The witness claimed he had written a report about the case and
informer Tvrtko Pasalic and the then president Franjo Tudjman about
it. Pursuant to his written report in April 1993, two commissions of
enquiry were founded, with the only results, Barisic said, being
him fired and those who had committed the crimes promoted, and the
case swept under the carpet.
The investigation about events in the Lora prison began two weeks
ago. Seven out of eight suspected military police have been
arrested, while one is still on the run.
Police are also making enquiries into death threats made to
witnesses, the county prosecutor and investigating judge involved
in the case. One of the witnesses was physically assaulted on
Tuesday at the Split court building.
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