RIJEKA, Feb 20 (Hina) - A judge of the Rijeka County Court, Ika Saric, has said that a panel of judges decided to extend the detention of retired General Mirko Norac, who was found guilty of war crimes, for another nine
months.
RIJEKA, Feb 20 (Hina) - A judge of the Rijeka County Court, Ika Saric,
has said that a panel of judges decided to extend the detention of
retired General Mirko Norac, who was found guilty of war crimes, for
another nine months.#L#
Gen. Norac, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison for war crimes
against civilians, has been in custody in Rijeka since 21 February
2001. His two-year detention pending a final verdict expires on
Sunday, 22 February.
According to Judge Saric, the panel of judges that was in session on
Friday concluded that there were grounds for prolonging his detention
for another nine months pending final ruling and considering the
gravity of crimes of which Norac.
In March 2003, Norac, Tihomir Oreskovic and Stjepan Grandic have been
sentenced to jail at the trial of the so-called Gospic Group, that was
accused of war crimes committed against civilians in a wider Gospic
area in the autumn of 1991.
Norac, who was at the time the commander of the Croatian Army brigade
in Gospic, was found guilty by the first-instance court of organising
the execution and of the killing of civilians. He was sentenced to 12
years in prison.
Norac's lawyers appealed against the decision which was made by Judge
Saric, and the Supreme Court is now expected to deliver a final
verdict.
(Hina) ms sb