THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Feb 23 (Hina) - A witness to the killing of Dubrovnik reporter Tonci Skocko on 6 December 1991 testified on Monday at the trial of a retired general of the former Yugoslav People's Army, Pavle Strugar, who is accused
by the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague of the 1991 shelling of Dubrovnik.
THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Feb 23 (Hina) - A witness to the killing of Dubrovnik
reporter Tonci Skocko on 6 December 1991 testified on Monday at the
trial of a retired general of the former Yugoslav People's Army, Pavle
Strugar, who is accused by the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague of
the 1991 shelling of Dubrovnik.#L#
Witness Nikola Jovic, who at the time worked in Skocko's father's shop
in the old part of Dubrovnik, described a fierce cannon attack on the
protected city centre on December 6 from JNA positions around
Dubrovnik, which were commanded by Strugar.
He said that one of the many shells exploded in the street in front of
the shop, where he and Skocko were standing at the time, killing
Skocko.
The witness said that many buildings in the city's old part were hit
that day and that some of them started to burn.
The indictment against Strugar alleges that on 6 December 1991 around
1,000 shells, "Malyutka" missiles and other types of artillery rounds
hit the city's old part. The JNA's attack on the city core, which is
under UNESCO protection, is the central part of the indictment.
Asked by the prosecutors if there had been Croatian army soldiers or
cannons in the Old City, the witness answered in the negative.
Retired JNA admiral Miodrag Jokic, who was indicted along with
Strugar, pleaded guilty to war crimes in 2003.
(Hina) rml sb