RECORD
made on 14 March 1952 at the District Court of Zagreb regarding the examination of the witness NIKOLIĆ ŠTEFAN in the criminal case against Artuković Dr Andrija for crimes defined in Art. 124, 125 and 128 of the Criminal Code.
Present: Premuž Stjepan, judge of the District Court of Zagreb
Jovanović Željko, investigator
Klika Greta, recording clerk

Witness NIKOLIĆ ŠTEFAN, son of Štefan, worker from Dubrava, Zagreb, born in Bistra on 11 December 1918, illiterate, no criminal record.
After the identity of the witness Nikolić Štefan had been established and after he was warned about the duty of stating the truth in accordance with Art. 168 of the Criminal Procedure Act and acquainted with the subject of the testimony, he stated:
I’m Romani* by origin. From 1937 till the middle of May 1942, I lived with my family in Dubrava, Zagreb, earning my daily bread through transportation, because I possessed my own horses and wagon. I had a wife, Nikolić Štefica, aged 20, and one child, Danica, aged 3. At the moment when the police organs of the so-called Independent State of Croatia took us to the Jasenovac concentration camp, my wife was in the ninth month of pregnancy, and was expected to give birth within the next three weeks.
Like I’ve mentioned, in the middle of May 1942, the police organs of the so-called Independent State of Croatia and Ustaše arrived in Dubrava, Zagreb, where a whole Romani* settlement was located. They told us that we must immediately leave our homes and that we would all, without exception, be transferred to somewhere in Bosnia, where we would perform forced labour and work on some abandoned estates. And indeed, all Roma from the mentioned settlement, with their possessions, were taken to the so-called Sajmište [Fairground] in Zagreb, where we were loaded into 4 livestock carriages and remained trapped inside them for 2 days, after which we were taken eastwards by train.
On the third day, sometime around 11 o’clock in the morning, our carriages were detached in front of the Jasenovac concentration camp. We spent around 2 hours trapped in the carriages and observed our surroundings through the viewing windows. In one field I noticed a whole bunch of scattered wagons, which I deduced were the property of Roma*, since they looked like the special type of wagon Roma* are wont to make. I also saw several groups of Roma moving past us near the Sava. Every group was followed by a wagon loaded with Ustaše and carrying picks, shovels and iron mallets. There were 40 – 50 men, women and children in each group, and all were Roma*. I saw that some people in these groups were lamenting and weeping. One old woman from one of the groups fell down, probably from exhaustion, and was approached by an Ustaša, who snatched her stick from her hands and began hitting her on the head mercilessly with it, after which he tied her hands together with rope, dragged her to the banks of the Sava and threw her into the water. A similar thing happened to a woman from one of the following groups. As far as I remember, 5 such groups passed us by. After this, the Ustaše forbade us to look through these windows, using rocks. After these groups had passed by, some half an hour later, we saw a group of 20 – 30 Ustaše approaching from the opposite direction. Some were only in their shirts, while others wore summer blouses, but all had their sleeves rolled up and their arms were completely covered with blood; their boots were also blood-splattered. After this, it became obvious that we had been tricked, and that we would die here. Like I’ve said, we spent around 2 hours in these carriages, after which we were driven out of them and had to throw all our documents, money and valuables into some boxes. I asked an Ustaša about whether a list of these things, which they were taking from us would be made, but he yelled that I shouldn’t ask anything. We were told that anyone who hides even 25 paras [currency unit of low value, similar to penny or cent] would be killed immediately. Being threatened thus, we immediately threw all our things into those boxes, even the cigarette butts and bits of tobacco in our pockets. Then we were herded into carriages once again and shut in. Half an hour later, we were again driven out of the carriages, and here all the younger and stronger and hardier men were separated from the rest and taken into a camp with barracks, where the inmates who performed manual labour were accommodated. Very few of us, no more than 10 men, were selected from those 4 carriages. That same afternoon, around 3 o’clock, the men, women and children who had stayed in the carriages were taken to another camp that lay nearby. This was an area enclosed by barbed wire covering some 200 square fathoms, without any buildings or dwellings. A large number of men, women and children were in that space, all of them Roma. There were many thousands of people in the camp with me, including Jews, Orthodox Christians and Roma*. Since not everyone could fit into the barracks, some had to sleep outside. Since I still didn’t know where I had been taken, I asked around and was told by the people who had been brought here previously that it’s better that I don’t ask anything. That same day or the next one, I met my kinsmen Nikolić Janko and Antun from Pušća Bistra, who had been in that camp for two weeks. They were so skinny and unshaven that I didn’t even recognise them. They told me that they were supposed to have been killed in that camp, that they had already dug the pits into which they were supposed to have been thrown, but were eventually spared and sent to join the group doing hard physical labour. Nikolić Janko told me that the Ustaše kill Roma* on the other bank of the Sava and that he buried some of the killed victims, finding among them his own wife and children.
The next morning, we were sent to dig beans and worked right next to the Romani* camp where in which my wife and children were located. Almost half of those prisoners who had arrived with me yesterday had been taken from this camp last night. My wife, who noticed me, shouted over the wire that she’s afraid of her fate and that of her children, and I begged the Ustaša guarding us to allow me to speak with her for a moment, which he refused, saying that I’d talked to her enough and that I was to speak to her no more. That same morning, around 11 o’clock, a group of Ustaše entered the camp and ordered all the Roma to take off their outer clothing and shoes, and they bound their hands tightly with wire, tying each of them to another person, and then took them somewhere outside the camp. None of them ever returned.
The next day I saw from the embankment – for the camp was located near the bank of the Sava, around 150 to 200 metres away on the other side of the river – the Ustaše throwing little children into the air and catching them on bayonets. I saw 6 or 7 children killed in this manner.
The fifth day, I was transferred together with a group of Roma*, to the southern bank of the Sava, and here we were divided into 4 groups and given the task of digging large pits in the ground. There were perhaps 50 of us working there, and these pits were some 200 metres away from the bank of the Sava. The pits covered an area of around 10 square metres and were somewhat deeper. Every day we dug 4 such pits, and we worked from 7 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon. Right after the first day, I was with a group of Roma* filling in previously-dug pits. These pits contained the bodies of killed Romani men, women and children. On that day I filled in 7 such pits, and there were 40 to 50 dead people in each of them. I could see by their wounds that the victims’ skulls had been broken with some heavy objects, probably mallets, and many of the bodies had had their abdomens laid open, so their intestines had fallen out. Some of the victims’ ears and hands had been cut off. A certain number of victims lay dead outside the pits, so we collected them and threw them into the pits, after which we filled them in.
I spent a total of 9 days digging pits on the southern bank of the Sava. Every day we encountered the same scenes. In the pits we had dug the day before, we found killed Roma* – men, women and children – most dressed only in their underwear, while those wearing poor cloth had been killed while still wearing them. Most of them were killed using hammers, so their skulls were broken. During our time working there, usually in the afternoon, we saw groups of Roma brought from the camp on the northern bank of the Sava and placed into some abandoned houses on the southern bank of the river. They were probably liquidated at night after our departure, since every morning we found whole piles of dead people in the pits we had dug previously.
During the time I spent digging those pits for the victims of the Ustaša massacres, I never directly saw the imprisoned Romani, their wives and children being killed, but every morning those 9 days I saw and, together with the other Roma*, buried entire piles of killed Roma*.
Since working in the camp was very stressful and we received very little food, I soon began losing strength and saw that I wouldn’t be able to work like this for much longer. Since it was known in the camp that those unable to work anymore would be killed, I and a group of Roma, who had been digging pits with me, decided to flee from the camp at the first opportunity. One night, on the 14th day of my stay in the camp, I managed to crawl under the barbed wire and escaped. The following people escaped with me: Nikolić Andrija, who now lives in Dubrava, Zagreb; Nikolić Mato, whose present location I don’t know; Nikolić Štefan from Kurilovec, Velika Gorica district; Nikolić Štefan, who now lives in Garešnica; Levaković Stevo, called Mikša, whose present location I don’t know; Nikolić Ibro, now residing in Dubrava, Zagreb; and Nikolić Antun, who now resides somewhere in Slavonia. After my escape, I moved to Slovenia, where I was captured by the Germans in June of that same year and taken first to the Garmisch concentration camp in Austria, then to Salzburg concentration camp and, finally, to the Dachau concentration camp, where I was liberated.
After giving this testimony, the witness swore an oath in accordance with Art. 227 of the Criminal Procedure Act.
FINISHED
Judge: Investigator: Recording clerk: Witness:
[illegible] [illegible] [illegible] [illegible]
[witness Štefan Nikolić’s fingerprint]
Print of Nikolić Štefan’s right index finger taken by
Klika Greta

HRAMOPE
Kedino po 14. Mart 1952. berš ko Thanesko Krisi Zagreb, vaš o šunipe e mujalnesko NIKOLIĆ ŠTEFAN ko došalipasko kejso mamuj o Dr. Andrija Artuković vaš e kerde došalipaske buća po Artiklo. 124. 125. thaj 128. kotar o Kriminalutno Kanuno.
Lije than: Premuž Stjepan, krisari kotar e Thanesko Kris Zagreb
Jovanović Željko, rodipasko manuš
Klika Greta, hramovni
O mujalno NIKOLIĆ ŠTEFAN, e Štefanesko čhavo bućari kotar e Zagrebaki Dubrava, bijando po 11. XII. 1918. ande Bistra, na džanel te drabarel thaj te hramol, naj krisome.
Kana si kerdini personalno identifikacija kotar o mujalno Nikolić Štefan, thaj kana si informirime vaš e obligacija kaj trubuj te phenel o čačipe phanglo ko Artiklo 168. kotar o Kriminalutno Procedurako Akto, pindžardo kolesa so si kerdo, vov vakerdas akava:
Me sem Rrom*. Kotar o 1937. thaj dži ko dopaš o masek Maj 1942 me bešavas mire familijasa ki Zagrebaki Dubrava, kerindos mire love vaš o xabe e transportesa, soske sas ma mire grasta thaj vordon. Sas ma rromni i Nikolić Štefica 20 beršengi phuri, thaj jekh čhajori i Danica, 3 beršengi. Ko momenti kana e policijake manuša kotar o Korkorutno Kroacijako Themutnipe ingarde amen ko Koncentracijako Lager Jasenovac, miri rromni sas ko IX. čhon khamni, thaj trubulas pala trin kurke te bijanel.
Sar so phendem ko dopaš o masek Maj 1942. e policijake manuša kotar o anavno Korkorutno Kroacijako Themutnipe (NDH) thaj e Ustašura avile ki Zagrebaki Dubrava, thaj phangle savoren kote so samas ki rromani* mahala. Von phende amenge kaj musaj si te mukas amare khera thaj savore bi o ulavipe ka ovas bičhalde varekate ki Bosna, kote so zorjasa ka ovas tradine te keras buti pe varesave mukle phuvja. Čačes sa e Rroma* kotar e lepardi mahala pe šejenca sas linde thaj ingarde ko than akhardo sajmište ko Zagreb, čhuvde samas ko 4 dživinenge vagonora, ko kodola vagonora ačhilam phangle 2 divesa, thaj pal kodo crdijam e trenosa pe čačerigesko drom.
Po trito dives, paša o 11 časo anglamezmeri, amare vagonora sas ulavde angla o Koncentraciako Lager Jasenovac. Ke vagonora samas phangle paš e 2 časora thaj andar e felastre dikasa o trujalipe avri. Pe jekh umalin dikhlem jekh xrpa pe rig čhudine vordona, kola sas kotar e Rroma*, e vordengo tipo sas amaro. Me dikhlem vi nekobor grupe Rroma* so nakhenas paš amende phirindos pe Savaki rig. Palal sako grupa e vorda sas pherde Ustašora kola so ingarenas krampe, thaj sastrune lopate. Ki sako grupa sas dži ke 40 – 50 murša, rromnja, thaj čhavorre, savore sas Rroma*. Me dikhlem kaj varesave manuša kotar kodola grupe rovenas thaj cipinas. Jekh phureder rromni kotar e grupe pelas pe phuv, šaj kaj sas khini, thaj dži late avilas jekh Ustaša, crdijas kotar lake vasta olaki rovli thaj lasa lijas te čalavel ola po šero, pal kodo e šeleja phanglas olake vasta thaj crdijas la dži pe lenaki phuv, odotar čhudijas la ande len. Kada kerdilas thaj jekhe avere džuvljasa kotar aver grupa. Kozom so dav ma godi paša amende sas 5 gasave grupuri. Pala adava keripe e Ustašura na mukle amen te dikhas andar e feljastre, čhudindos barrenca pe amende. Kana nakhle odola, pala dopaš časo diklam sar kotar aver rig avel jekh aver grupa kotar e 20 – 30 Ustašura. Nesave manuša olendar sas uravde ko gada, dži kote e avera sas uravde ko milaeske uravimata, numa savorenge vazdine baja thaj olenge vasta sas ratvale, a e ratesa sas pherde thaj olenge kundre. Pala adava džanglam kaj sam xoxavde, thaj akate ka crdas but. Sar so phendem ko vagonija samas 2 časora, pala kodo ikalde amen avri katar e vagonora thaj trubujas ke varesave kutije te čhudas amare šeja. Me phučlem varesave Ustašos ka kerel pes varasavi lista kotar amendar linde šeja, či haćardem so phendas mange numa vov vrknisardas te na phučav khanči. Vakerdo si amenge kaj sako kodo ko ka garavel, ba te ovel vi 25 para love ka ovel sigo mudardo. Kotar i dar ke adala kutije čhudijam sa e šeja thaj čučardam vi e phabarde cigarete thaj trunje tutuno so ačhile amenge ki posoki. Pale čhuvde amen palpale ko vagonora thaj phangle amen. Pala dopaš časo ikalde amen palem avri kotar e vagonora, e terne thaj e zurale murša sas ulavde, ingarde ko jekh Lager kotar e barake kote so bešenas e phangle so kerenas fizikalutni buti. Andar akala vagonura sas ulavde cerra, majbut 10 murša. Ko kodo dive palamezmeri, paš o 3 časo e murša, rromnja thaj e čhave so ačhile ko vagonora, ingarde si ko aver Lager kova so sas nadur kotar. Akava than sas phanglo e sastreske pusavne barjasa, paš e 200 metre baro, pe leste naj sas nisave khera vaj bešipaske thana. Bukadar murša, rromnja thaj čhave sas kote thaj savore sas Rroma*. Mancar ko Lager sas buteder milje manuša, maškar olende sas Bibolde, Das (Serbijake), thaj Rroma*. Kaj savore našti bešenas ki baraka, varesave olendar čhuvde sas avri. Vi dureder na džanavas kote sem, phučavas man korkoro kaj sem, phučhindos avere manušen kola so sas angleder andine kote ko Lager, phende majlačhes ma phuč khanči. Kodo dives semas ko buti-keribasko Lager thaj maladem ma mire kumorenca e Nikolić Jankosa thaj e Antunesa andar e Pušća Bistra, so avilesa duj kurke majanglal mandar ko Lager. Von sas kobor sane thaj bare čhorjenca so me našti pindžardem olen. Phenenas kaj trubujas dži akana mudarde te oven, kerdine sas olenge limorja thaj e xiva kote so trubujas te oven čhudine, numa si crdine pe rig, thaj bičhalde ki grupa te keren fizikalutni phari buti. O Nikolić Janko phendas mange kaj pe aver Savaki lenaki rig e Ustašura mudarenas e Romen* vov praxosardas sa e mudarde manušen, thaj maškar olende arakhlas pire rromnja thaj e čhavorren.
Ko aver dives anglamezmeri, samas bičhalde te džas te hanavas i phuv vaš o fusuj thaj kerdam buti paša e Rromane* Lagerja kote so arakhelaspe miri rromni thaj čhavorra. Kotar kodo Lager ki nakhli raći legarde sas dopaš phangle manuša save so mancar ko angluno dives avile. Mi rromni, dikhindos ma, lijas te vrkni kotar e sastreski pusavni bar phendindos kaj daral vaš olako thaj e čhavengo trajo, me rugisardem e Ustašos so arakhelas amari grupa te mukel man jek minuto te vorbiv lasa, vov phendas našti, vakerindos kaj me lasa dosta lafi kerdem, thaj majbut našti te vorbiv. Kodo dives anglamezmeri paša o 11 časo ando kodo Lager dijas andre jekh grupa kotar e Ustašura thaj dije komanda sa e Rroma* te huljaren pestar peske uravipa thaj kundre, olenge vasta phangle sastrune šelesa, thaj duj pe duj manuša kethanes sas ingarde varekaj andar o Lager avri. Khonik olendar nikana na irisardaspe.
Ko aver dives dikhlem kotar e lenaki umalin paš i len Sava kaj pe aver rig si kotar 150 dži ko 200 metre dureder Ustašura, kola so čhudenas e cikne čhavoren upre karing o del thaj istarenas olen pe jagaljenge čhurika te peren. Dikhlem kaj si kadija 6 vaj 7 čhavorre mudarde.
Ko pandžto dives, bičhaldo semas kethanes jekhe Rromane* grupasa ko teluno than e lenako Sava, thaj kote sam ulavde ko 4 grupe, dende amenge buti te hanavas bare xiva ande phuv. Kote samas paša 50 manuša kaj kerasa kadi buti, akala xiva sas 200 metre dureder kotar o than paša i Sava. Akala xiva učharenas jekh umal kotar e 10 metre kvadrato, šaj vi buhleder. Sako dives hanadam 4 gasave xiva, kerdam buti kotar e 7 časo anglamezemri dži ko 16 časo palamezmeri. Ko avgo dives, jekhe Rromane* grupaja učharavas e angleder hanade xiva. Ko adala xiva mudarde sas murša, rromnja thaj čhavorre, sa Rroma*. Ko kodo dives me pherrdem 7 gasave xiva, ki sako jekh xiv sas kotar 40 dži 50 mule manuša. Pe mulenge truposke kotora šaj sas te dikhlolpe kaj si khuvde e phare kotorenca, šaj e sastrune ruvljenca, sas bukadar mudarde kaske porra sas andar lengo vogi ikalde. Nesave mudardenge sas e kana thaj e vasta čhinde. Nesave manuša si mudarde thaj mukhle ki phuv avral e xiva, bipraxome, amen kedijam olenge truposke kotora thaj čhutam olen andre ke xiva, pherindos upral phuvjasa.
Enja divesa buti kerdem pe xivengo hanavipe ke teluni rig lenako Sava. Sako dives dikhasa jekh isto situacija, jekhutno sureti. Ko xiva so hanadam o angluno dives arakasa e mudarde Rromen* muršen, rromnjen, thaj čhavorren kolendar buteder numa ko sosteja, thaj nesave so sas bilačhe uravimata mudarde sas uravde. Savore sas mudarde pobut e bare čokanenca, thaj kodoleske sas olenge šere phage. Ki vrama kotar amaro butikheribe amen dikhlam kaj sakana palamezmeri, kotar e upruni rig lenaki Sava kotar o Lager andine sas Rromane* grupe kotar varesave mukhle khera andar e teluni rig lenaki Sava. Šaj te ovel kaj si mudarde ki raći kana amen džasa, kaj sakana sako anglamezmeri arakhasa ke angleder hanade xiva xrpa mudarde manušen.
Ki vrama kotar miro butikeripe hanandos xiva vaš e xasarde so si mudarde kotar e Ustašengo masakro, me direktno na dikhlem e likvidacija e phangle Rromaengi*, olenge rromnjen thaj čhavorren, numa trujal kodola 9 divesa sako dives anglalmezmeri dikhlem thaj kethanes avere Rromenca*, praxosardem bari xrpa mudarde Rromen*.
Soske i buti ko Lager but phari sas, thaj o xabe sas but hari, mi zor sigate perelas tele thaj haćardem kaj našti buteder ka kerav kodi phari buti. Ko Lager džanelaspe kaj sako jekh ko xasardas pi zor ka ovel mudardo, kodoleske me thaj vi da jekh grupa Rroma*, kola so hanavasa e xiva, kerdam vorba te našas ko momenti kana ka sikavelpe o angluno šajipe. Jekh rati o 14-to dives kotar miro bešipe ko Lager, nakhlem telal i sastreski pusavni bar thaj našlem andar o Lager. Kethanes mancar našle thaj: o Nikolić Andrija, so akana bešel ki Zagrebaki Dubrava; o Nikolić Mato, na džanav akana kaj si; o Nikolić Štefan kotar e Kurilovec, than Velika Gorica; o Nikolić Štefan, kon akana dživdinel ki Garešnica; o Levaković Stevo akhardo Mikša, akana na džanav kaj si; o Nikolić Ibro, akana themutno ki Zagrebaki Dubrava; thaj o Nikolić Antun, kon trail akana varekate ki Slavonia. Pala miro našibe me gelem ko Juno ki Slovenia, pe kodo berš semas astardo kotar e Njamcora, thaj tradino majangle ko Koncentracijako Lager ko Garmisch Austria, thaj pala kodo ingardo ko Koncentracijako Lager ko Salzburg, thaj po agor ko Kontreacijako Lager Dachau kote kaj astaremdem miri slobodija.
Pala o dendo vakaripe, o mujalno dijas sovel kaj phendas o čačipe phanglo ko Artiklo 227. kotar o Kriminalutno Procedurako Akto.
AGORISARDO

 Krisari:                          Rodimasko manuš:                Hramomi:                     Mujalno:

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[mujalno e Štefan Nikolićesko najesko printo]
Najesko čačerigesko printo kotar e Nikolić Štefanesko indekso lendo kotar e Klika Greta