THIRTY YEARS SINCE THE CLOSURE OF THE "SILOS" CAMP - A NOTORIOUS CAMP FOR SERBS

The "Silos" camp in Tarčin, which was run by the so-called Army of BiH, was and remains a symbol of the suffering of the Serbian people during the past war. Testimonies of former detainees confirm that, in terms of brutality and torture, it resembled the notorious Nazi camp from World War II - Auschwitz.

Prepared by: Ognjen BEGOVIĆ HADŽIĆI, January 20 /SRNA/ - The concentration camp "Silos" in Tarčin near Sarajevo, where more than 600 Serbian civilians were detained, 24 of whom died as a result of physical abuse, beatings, torture and starvation, was closed at the end of January 30 years ago - a full two months after the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement. This camp was one of a total of 126 camps in the wartime Sarajevo area, and mostly held civilians from Tarčin, Pazarić and other surrounding settlements. Many believe that the entire pre-war municipality of Hadžići functioned as a kind of camp for Serbs, and that "Silos" was one of the most notorious dungeons, as innocent Serbian children, women and elderly people suffered there. TORTURE IN "SILOS" SPARED NEITHER CHILDREN, WOMEN NOR THE ELDERLY The youngest among the detained civilians was fourteen-year-old Leo Kapetanović, while the oldest was Vaso Šarenac, who was over 85 years old and died in "Silos," where the temperature was always 10 degrees lower than outside. Women were not spared torture either, including one who was in her sixth month of pregnancy. Serbian detainees who survived the horrific torture testified that officials of the wartime government of the so-called Republic of BiH visited "Silos" and were aware of what was happening in the camp. Former Serbian detainee from "Silos," Đorđo Šuvajlo, previously told SRNA that those directly responsible for the crimes in the Tarčin Silos were the then president of the Muslim municipality of Hadžići, Mustafa Đelilović, and the commander of the 9th Mountain Brigade of the so-called Army of BiH, Nezir Kazić, along with their associates. "Silos," as a concentration camp for Serbs run by the so-called Army of BiH, was opened on May 11, 1992, in a facility previously used to store wheat, and was closed on January 27, 1996, on St. Sava's Day - two months after the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement. According to testimonies of former detainees, "Silos" had all the characteristics of the notorious Auschwitz. Former "Silos" detainee Radojka Pandurević stated in earlier testimony to SRNA that wartime Muslim leader Alija Izetbegović had twice been in the vicinity of "Silos." Another former detainee, now deceased, Slavko Jovičić Slavuj, was released from "Silos" on January 27, 1996. He testified that "Silos" was a laboratory for testing human endurance, where Muslim soldiers and guards viewed prisoners as animals, beating them daily, torturing them in various ways, starving them to death and poisoning them with various medications. "May such suffering and such torture never happen again to anyone in the world - suffering that the world and modern civilization will never be able to comprehend or understand," Jovičić stated at the time. He was also a former member of the Parliament of BiH. Detainees learned of the closure of the "Silos" camp from representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross. They left the camp on January 26, 1996, while the last 42 prisoners were released a day later, finally closing the doors of this dungeon. SIX PERPETRATORS SENTENCED TO 42 YEARS FOR CRIMES IN "SILOS" On November 24, 2011, several members of the so-called Army of BiH were arrested on suspicion of participating in crimes and the persecution of the Serbian population in the Sarajevo municipality of Hadžići. The following year, on April 19, a trial began before the Prosecutor's Office of BiH in Sarajevo against eight members of the so-called Army of BiH, accused of unlawful arrests, torture, killings and inhumane treatment of Serbian civilians in the “Silos” camp. The accused were Mustafa Đelilović, Fadil Čović, Mirsad Šabić, Nezir Kazić, Bećir Hujić, Halid Čović, Šerif Mešanović and Nermin Kalember. The trial attracted significant public interest, not only from families of victims and injured parties, but also from media across BiH and the region. In July 2021, the Court of BiH issued a final verdict sentencing six defendants convicted of crimes against civilians to a total of 42 years in prison. Former commander of the 9th Mountain Brigade of the so-called Army of BiH, Nezir Kazić, was sentenced to 10 years in prison; former head of the Hadžići Public Security Station, Fadil Čović, and former camp warden of “Silos” in Tarčin /until August 1994/, Bećir Hujić, were each sentenced to eight years. Commander of the Police Station in Pazarić, Mirsad Šabić, was sentenced to six years, while former “Silos” warden /from August 1994/ Halid Čović and former guard Nermin Kalember were each sentenced to five years. All six were convicted of unlawful detention and inhumane treatment of Serbian and Croatian civilians held in “Silos,” the Krupa barracks in Zovik, and the “9 May” elementary school in Pazarić, as well as of denying civilians the right to a trial and forcing them into labor.