SECURITY COUNCIL

Page #12 and 13 of the above document...

Deposition made by S.K. on 6 November 1992 at the Gynaecology-Obstetrics Clinic in Belgrade, 26 Visegradska Street

My name is S.K. I was born 11 July 1968, in Nisic, municipality of Ilijas.

I was captured on 26 May 1992 in the forest near my house. I was with two other refugee girls from Visoko [Bosnia] - J. and N.R. We were captured by 10 men in camouflage uniforms; they had "lily" [Muslim] insignia on their caps. They put us in a truck and took off in an unknown direction. They drove us to Breza camp. We were detained in a basement with small windows; it was a dirty, damp and cold place. They raped us immediately on arrival; groups of them raped and beat us. I remained there two days.

I was then moved to another building, another room where there were five women and girls: two Nadas, Rosa, Mira and Olja. I was in that room until our release on 15 August 1992.

We were in the room almost all the time, except when we were taken out to watch prisoners being beaten up, tortured and executed. The torture consisted of slaughter, tearing of bodies bit by bit, drowning in a pool which looked like a swimming pool - what else was in it besides water, that I do not know.

Prisoners were forced to do hard labour and we were taken out from our room only to watch killings and tortures, or to clean and do the gardening. I did not know other prisoners; they were from Breza, Visoko and Vares [all in Bosnia].

We were repeatedly beaten and raped by scores of men; sometimes as many as 20 of them violated me one after the other. When we fainted, they poured water on us.

We did not have a bath. There was a bathroom but we were not allowed to have a bath or take a shower. There was a wash-basin where we could wash our faces,and if we managed we could wash ourselves speedily.

We were tortured simply by taking us to watch other prisoners being tortured. Once, they forced a father to rape his daughter who was about 17 years old. They beat them but both father and daughter refused to do what they were told. It was only when they pressed a knife to his throat that his daughter cried and eventually begged him to do so in order not to be killed. He eventually did it and I do not know whether he was killed later on, but anyone who leaves that prison is a living death.

We were fed by pieces of mouldy bread or macaroni, probably leftovers, and a soup which was in fact slops.

We girls and women, occupying that room, could not talk to each other since we were never alone; there was always some one of them with us both when we worked and when we were in the room.

They constantly mentioned a name Kula, probably an alias. They kept asking themselves whether he would be satisfied by the way and how much they beat and raped us. They laughed as they did so.

Later on, when I returned home, I heard that Kula was the warden and that he was from Semizovci. I never saw him.

When I was freed, the five girls who were with me in the room were also released. Two of them committed suicide immediately after their release and the rest of them left the village with their parents. They set us free because we were pregnant and their purpose was to make us pregnant.

I am horrified of confined spaces and I wish to go back home as soon as possible.

Deposition recorded by: Zorica Stevic, Senior Stenographer at the Federal Assembly

Deposition made by: S. K.

   NEXT:

 [ Deposition of another Serbian woman ]

   BACK TO: