The Osijek HVIDRA leader, Miljenko Kolobaric, told a news conference in Osijek on Friday that the purpose of the fund was to financially help the suspects to prove their innocence before courts.
Kolobaric added that the establishment of the fund was also prompted by the knowledge that there were Homeland War veterans suspected of war crimes who could not cover costs of their defence due to high fees for lawyers' services. In this context he mentioned six war volunteers who were being held in detention in Osijek.
Another HVIDRA official, Petar Mlinarevic, said that although there were foundations of this kind at the state level, unfortunately, "not equal care is provided for all war crimes suspects, although we should equally care for all our comrades, regardless of their military rank".
Kolobaric complained that "politics has separated generals from their army and citizens, although all of them together created the state", adding that it was sad to see that "generals are defended and soldiers are not".
He alluded to foundations established to collect funds for the defence of indicted generals.