Izvor: Blic, 05.Sep.2000, 12:00 (ažurirano 02.Apr.2020.)
I was naked on a table when they beat me
I was naked on a table when they beat me
Srecko Dragic of Knin, Rade Marcetic of Koljan, Dusan Borkovic and Miroslav Vincic of Laktac have been released from Croat prisons. According to Croat jurisdiction, they are war criminals; however, these four men say that they were just defending their homes.
"Tudjman said that everybody whose hands were not stained with blood could stay in Croatia. Thirteen of us surrendered on 5th August 1995. They released only a Slovenian and >> Pročitaj celu vest na sajtu Blic << a Serb. Others were treated as war criminals," Rade Marcetic says. He and Miroslav were in a Split prison. Dusan and Srecko were in Lepoglava.
"Lepoglava is not a prison; it is a prisoners' camp. My number was 2826," Srecko says.
These people are not willing to talk too much. They are still frightened. They want to forget the hell they went through.
"I cannot believe that I'm free. I still believe that somebody will come to lock me," Srecko Dragic adds.
They were set free in July. Having left the jail, they spent two weeks in a hotel in Zagreb. On 25th August, they came to Yugoslavia to join their families. Their houses in Croat villages were burnt.
"I cannot complain about prison as much as about police and jurisdiction. We were brutally beaten in police stations. We were indicted after two years of imprisonment. We were not maltreated too much in jails. Croat prisoners used to shout: "You criminals!" but we were separated from them. Fifteen Serbs of Kraina and a Bosnian were placed in two cells," Rade says. He remembers his first day in freedom.
"I cannot describe that feeling; I was both sad and happy. I was sad because my innocent friends remained in prison. On the other hand, I was happy because I was free."
His mother, father and two sons are in Montenegro. His wife and daughter are in Indjija (a town in Serbia). They are refugees.
"Trial confinement was an awful experience. They tortured us. They beat me with a hammer while I was naked on a table. I fainted because of pains. While they were beating me, a doctor was writing down my personal data. Zlatko Skalic of Vrlika and Marjan Rasic of Herzegovina used to beat us severely. Situation was very difficult until January 1996. After that it was a bit easier," Dusan says.
His estate was destroyed; roofs were removed from his houses; he was deprived of his car and tractor.
"My father died in Serbia, and my mother died in Croatia. My daughter married. All that happened while I was in prison. Do I have psychological problems? Yes, I have them now, and I'll have them for ever," Dusan says.
"We were on hunger strike for seven days. Minister Separevic told us to end the strike because everything would be solved in court. We stopped striking, but nothing changed," Miroslav Vincic says.
"Croat jurisdiction is like a lottery. Somebody gets five years imprisonment; others get ten or fifteen. The very judges used to say that politics would solve everything. Unfortunately, politics have failed this time," Srecko Dragic says.
By Ranko Pivljanin
