Witness Djordje Katic, who was imprisoned in Lora and now lives in Australia, sent the court a letter asking to give his testimony via video link from a court in Australia. He explained that he could not travel due to his poor physical and mental condition and fear of visiting the city where he experienced the most difficult of times in his life. The witness said that the torture to which he was subjected at Lora had left him with almost 100-percent disability.
Katic also said that until now the court had not shown any interest in interviewing him although he was one of the most tortured victims at Lora and that he had not received any summon to testify despite the fact that his home address was known.
Katic's request to testify via video link from Australia was opposed by the defence counsel for the accused, and after considering the request presiding judge Spomenka Tonkovic said the panel of judges would decide on the matter subsequently since the parties involved could not agree either on the time or the manner of questioning the witness.
The judges read out a previous statement by witness Jovan Prkut who was to have testified on Thursday but failed to appear before the court. Prkut said in the statement that he was not abused during his detention at Lora in June 1992.
Two of 11 summoned witnesses who testified in the previous days said their interrogators had tortured them by running electricity through their ears, but they did not charge any of the accused military policemen.
The trial is attended by four indictees - Tonci Vrkic, Davor Banic, Ante Gudic and Andjelko Botic, while the first indictee Tomislav Duic, as well as indictees Josip Bikic, Miljenko Bajic and Emilijo Bungur have been on the run since October last year, when the Supreme Court, having previously quashed the 2002 acquittal, ordered that they be placed in custody.