KARLOVAC: TRIAL OF FIKRET ABDIC RESUMES

KARLOVAC, Oct 23 (Hina) - The trial of Fikret Abdic, who has been accused of war crimes against civilians and prisoners of war committed in Bosnia's western Cazin region between 1993 and 1995, resumed before the Karlovac County Court on Tuesday. Abdic is charged with having ordered, planned and organised the establishment of prison camps in the area of Velika Kladusa after the declaration of the so-called Autonomous Province (AP) of Western Bosnia. The trial resumed with the testimony of Zuhdija Sakanovic, a former guard at the Drmaljevo prison camp, where, he said, between 500 and 600 members of the Bosnian Army's 5th Corps had been imprisoned. Sakanovic had been questioned at a court in Bihac, where he signed a statement saying members of Abdic's special units had beaten and tortured prisoners at Drmaljevo. At today's hearing he claimed he had signed the statement because he had been afraid. "Not many people were beaten while in prison like I was so I did not dare say anything good about the AP Western Bosnia and signed everything I was asked to sign." Sakanovic, who was initially a member of the BH Army 5th Corps and later joined the army of the AP Western Bosnia but eventually returned to the 5th Corps, said the treatment of prisoners at the Drmaljevo camp was not bad. Around 200 supporters of Fikret Abdic gathered today in front of the Karlovac County Court building, defence attorneys said. Abdic, a manager and businessman, used to be at the helm of the "Agrokomerc" food company in Velika Kladusa (western Bosnia) before the war. Before the break-out of the war in former Yugoslavia, he became a member and leader of the (Muslim) Party of Democratic Action (SDA). During the war he fell out with the SDA leadership and established the self-proclaimed autonomous province. He moved to Croatia after his 'mini-state' collapsed. (hina) rml