ZAGREB, March 8 (Hina) - The U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague has indicted Croatian generals Ivan Cermak and Mladen Markac, on individual and command responsibility, with seven counts of crimes against humanity and breaches of
the laws and customs of war which were committed as part of a joint criminal enterprise through the expulsion and killing of Krajina Serbs, the plunder and destruction of their property, random destruction of towns and villages, deportation and forced resettlement of the population and other inhumane acts, committed in the period between August 4 and November 15, 1995.
ZAGREB, March 8 (Hina) - The U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague has
indicted Croatian generals Ivan Cermak and Mladen Markac, on
individual and command responsibility, with seven counts of crimes
against humanity and breaches of the laws and customs of war which
were committed as part of a joint criminal enterprise through the
expulsion and killing of Krajina Serbs, the plunder and destruction of
their property, random destruction of towns and villages, deportation
and forced resettlement of the population and other inhumane acts,
committed in the period between August 4 and November 15, 1995.#L#
The indictment, which the tribunal's chief prosecutor Carla del Ponte
submitted on February 19 this year, was confirmed by the tribunal in
the meantime and unsealed on March 8.
The indictment, which was publicised by the tribunal today, alleges
that during and in the wake of Operation "Storm" Ivan Cermak and
Mladen Markac, along with others, including Ante Gotovina and the late
Croatian President Franjo Tudjman, participated in a joint criminal
enterprise which was aimed at the forcible and permanent removal of
the Serb population from the area of Krajina.
The indictment alleges that Cermak's and Markac's commands to members
of the Croatian forces paved the way for acts cited in the indictment,
and that the accused encouraged Croat civilians to commit the acts
too. The prosecution maintains that Markac and Cermak failed to
establish public order and peace in areas liberated by Operation
"Storm", a task with which they had been entrusted with.
On 5 August 1995 Cermak was appointed commander of the Knin garrison
and remained at that post until mid-November, while Markac was the
commander of special police forces during the period covered by the
indictment.
These positions gave them de jure and de facto control over part of
the Croatian forces in that area, including police and army forces.
Cermak and Markac had the authority and responsibility to prevent and
punish the serious violations of international humanitarian law which
were committed by Croatian forces during and in the wake of the
operation, the indictment alleges. They were warned about such acts by
representatives of the international community, the prosecution
states.
The indictment charges Cermak and Markac with the expulsion and
killing of at least 150 Krajina Serbs, the plunder and destruction of
their property, the deportation and forcible resettlement of tens of
thousands of people, and other inhumane acts, committed between 4
August and 15 November 1995.
The prosecution alleges that expulsion as crime against humanity was
committed through the plunder of public and private property of
Krajina Serbs, destruction of their property, deportation and forcible
resettlement, murder and other inhumane acts, such as abuse and
humiliation.
The exodus of tens of thousands of Serbs to Bosnia-Herzegovina and
Serbia is the result of pressure exerted on Krajina Serbs, among other
things, through the plunder and destruction of their property, which
prevented their return.
The acts from the indictment were committed in the area which covers
Benkovac, Donji Lapac, Drnis, Gospic, Gracac, Knin, Korenica, Obrovac,
Sibenik, Sinj and Zadar.
(Hina) rml sb