TWO FOCA CONCENTRATION CAMP SURVIVORS TESTIFIED BEFORE BOSNIAN STATE COURT

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (October 18,2007) - Two Foca concentration camp survivors,protected prosecution witnesses, testifying against Serbian war criminals Mitar Rasevic and Savo Todovic, spoke before the Bosnian State Court about forced labour groups formed by the latter indictee.

Serbian war criminal Mitar Rasevic, who,according to the indictment,was guard commander in the Foca concentration camp, and Serbian war criminal Savo Todovic, its deputy commander, are charged with having participated in the maltreatment of Bosnian civilians and in the establishment of a "forced labour system".

"Savo Todovic established the working groups. Every time the guards would bring lists of people who would perform forced labour, people would say that he was the one who had made those lists," protected witness told the court.

The witness said that members of the genocidal Serbian paramilitary unit "White Eagles" arrested him and took him to the Foca concentration camp on April 27, 1992. The genocidal Serbian paramilitary group "White Eagles" was led by Serbian war criminal Radomir Kovac,which participated in military operations conducted by the Serbian aggressor during the 1992-1995 Serbian aggression against Bosnia.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) sentenced Serbian war criminal Radomir Kovac to 20 years of imprisonment for crimes against humanity committed in Foca.

"They said I was supposed to give a statement and that I would come back afterwards. I stayed there for almost a year and a half," witness said.

He told the court that Serbian war criminal Savo Todovic "was in charge of everything", although Serbian war criminal Milorad Krnojelac was the Foca concentration camp commander.

The ICTY convicted Serbian war criminal Radomir Krnojelac and sentenced him to 15 years of imprisonment for crimes committed in the Foca concentration camp.

"Todovic was there all the time and he was in charge of everything," explained the witness, who left the Foca facility in July 1993.

Second protected witness recalled how the detainees were categorised in forced labour groups.

This witness stated that on three occasions during his stay in the Foca concentration camp ­ from April 18, 1992 to October 5, 1994 Serbian war criminal Savo Todovic punished him on three occasions by detaining him in an isolated cell.

The witness said he was a member of a work group established by Serbian war criminal savo Todovic, and that he had to perform forced labour even during his isolation.

"To us Savo was the chief. He was even more powerful than Krnojelac. He was the one who decided what we would do," the witness said.

The witness explained that the Foca concentration camp was managed by Serbian war criminals Vojo Maksimovic, Velibor Ostojic and Petko Cancar. He stated that they were the ones who decided who would be beaten up or murdered.'

The next hearing is due on October 23 when court experts Hamza Zujo and Nijaz Smajic will be examined.