VUKOVAR, June 4 (Hina) - Witnesses Mirko Huc, Jozo Pudja, and Ivan Berdi testified before the Vukovar County Court Friday in the trial conducted against 22 persons for genocide and war crimes against civilians during the Serb
occupation of the eastern Croatian town of Vukovar. The only indictee present at the trial was Stevan Curnic, while the other 21 are being tried in absentia. Huc saw Curnic in the Velepromet company warehouse, where Huc had been taken along with other prisoners from a bomb shelter in Vukovar. He saw indictee Darko Fot, who threatened to beat him up. Money and other valuables were taken away from them. Huc said he heard shots that night, but added he had no knowledge of the cause of the shooting. Witness Pundja said that soldiers, who identified themselves as members of the armed forces of extremist Vojislav Seselj, currently deputy premier of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, en
VUKOVAR, June 4 (Hina) - Witnesses Mirko Huc, Jozo Pudja, and Ivan
Berdi testified before the Vukovar County Court Friday in the trial
conducted against 22 persons for genocide and war crimes against
civilians during the Serb occupation of the eastern Croatian town
of Vukovar.
The only indictee present at the trial was Stevan Curnic, while the
other 21 are being tried in absentia.
Huc saw Curnic in the Velepromet company warehouse, where Huc had
been taken along with other prisoners from a bomb shelter in
Vukovar. He saw indictee Darko Fot, who threatened to beat him up.
Money and other valuables were taken away from them. Huc said he
heard shots that night, but added he had no knowledge of the cause of
the shooting.
Witness Pundja said that soldiers, who identified themselves as
members of the armed forces of extremist Vojislav Seselj, currently
deputy premier of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, entered his
house in a suburb of Vukovar most probably on September 14, 1991.
The soldiers abused him and his wife, asked for money, jewellery,
and weapons. As they did not find anything, the soldiers told the
Pundja's to stay at home. Members of the former Yugoslav People's
Army (JNA) arrived the day after, and told the Pundja's they were to
remain under house arrest until further notice. The family remained
under house arrest until November 12, when a person by the surname
of Crevar came to get Pundja and his wife, and took them to the
Velepromet warehouse. Pundja said he heard cries for help and
machine gun shots in the warehouse, but added he could not see
anything. He was then taken to the Sremska Mitrovica prison in
Serbia, where was interrogated and beaten up.
"On one occasion, Marko Kraguljac came there and interceded on my
behalf, after which I was no longer beaten", Pundja said. From the
Sremska Mitrovica prison, Pundja was taken to Nis where "we were
beaten individually and in rooms". He was one of exchanged
prisoners on December 21, 1991.
When asked by indictee Curnic if Pudja had seen him in the
Velepromet warehouse, the witness said he saw Curnic wearing a
uniform, adding, however, he did not see him molesting anyone.
Witness Ivan Berdi saw indictee Curnic for the first time when
Curnic came to get him "to see if he was doing the same as Viktor
Horvat". Curnic then told him to hurry up "or he would empty the
whole clip into him".
Later, Berdi saw Curnic and another person taking prisoner Damir
Bracak outside, and since then there was no information on his
whereabouts. Bern was later taken to the Sremska Mitrovica prison,
and later exchanged.
(hina) it jn/ lml