Posted on 09/19/2002 4:13:53 PM PDT by joan
ZAGREB, Sept 19 (AFP) - The trial on war crimes charges of eight former Croatian military policemen accused of torturing and killing ethnic Serbs during the war of the 1990s resumed on Thursday after a two-month break, national radio reported.
Judge Slavko Lozina, who is conducting the trial at a court in the southern Adriatic town of Split, decided to resume with the process without three of the suspects, who are on the run.
The prime suspect, Tomislav Duic, has been on trial in his absence since the proceedings opened in June but the other two absentees -- Josip Bikic and Miljenko Bajic -- went into hiding after being provisionally released in July.
The remaining five suspects -- Davor Banic, Andjelko Botic, Emilijo Bungur, Ante Gudic and Tonci Vrkic -- were re-arrested in August.
The eight men are charged with killing two ethnic Serb civilians held in a notorious military prison in Split in 1992 and torturing several others, during the 1991-95 conflict between the Croatian authorities and Serb rebels.
Lozina, who ruled in July to grant the seven provisional release, has been repeatedly accused of failing to ensure a fair trial and being overly lenient towards the defendants.
Explaining his decision on provisional release, Lozina said that none of the 30 prosecution witnesses questioned had corroborated charges against the suspects.
But following an appeal by Split's public prosecutor the country's Supreme Court ordered the seven re-arrested.
According to a Split-based human rights group, which has collected evidence on atrocities committed in Lora, more than 1,000 prisoners, mostly ethnic Serbs, passed through Lora and some 70 went missing.
Croatia's justice ministry said that five of 14 people currently living in Yugoslavia, who had been called to testify, were expected to give testimonies at the Split court on Monday.
The trial is seen as an important test for the Croatian judiciary's ability to handle cases involving Croatians accused of committing war crimes against ethnic Serbs.
The death/torture camp I have knowledge of was in Sisak, not Split. Not to say there wasn't one in Split, I just don't know about it.
Will get back next week. Hope all of you are well and happy!
And yes, Tropoljac, the Serbs had theirs, too.
The pscho guy who ran the camp is now living on the coast near Makara. Nice sandy beaches in that area, nicht wahr?
Croat jounalists also photographed some of the bodies of the victims who were pulled from the Sava. I'm afraid I never got their names, but maybe they would come forward now.
I also have a map (hope I can find it) of where some of the bodies (later) were buried near the refinery, after the Sava didn't seem such a good idea.
Yes, this is a test!
Best regards,
wonders
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