ZAGREB, Feb 27 (Hina) - The defence team for retired general Ante Gotovina, who had been indicted by the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague, on Thursday claimed their defendant's human rights were being violated because the
government would not make available documents as it did for other indictees from Croatia.
ZAGREB, Feb 27 (Hina) - The defence team for retired general Ante
Gotovina, who had been indicted by the U.N. war crimes tribunal in
The Hague, on Thursday claimed their defendant's human rights were
being violated because the government would not make available
documents as it did for other indictees from Croatia. #L#
Speaking on behalf of the team, U.S. attorney Luka Misetic reacted
to a statement by Deputy Prime Minister Goran Granic who, in
response to an MP's question about why the government had not made
the documents available, said "the tribunal revoked the decision"
and that the government "has no basis to act upon".
Misetic considers this just another piece of evidence of the
violation of Gotovina's fundamental human rights because, he said,
the government had made relevant documents available to the defence
teams of other indictees such as retired generals Mladen Markac and
Ivan Korade as well as retired admiral Davor Domazet-Loso.
In June last year, the Zagreb Municipal Court ruled that the
government should make the documents it submitted to the Hague
tribunal in connection with Gotovina available to his defence. The
ruling was overruled by the Zagreb County Court as being
illegitimate and submitted for reconsideration.
Judge Slavko Pavkovic, who issued the first ruling, told Hina that a
three-member panel of judges had not been convened yet nor had a
hearing been set for the matter.
The Hague tribunal charged Gotovina in July 2001 with war crimes
against humanity and violations of laws and customs of war
committed against Serb nationals during the Operation Storm in
1995. Since then Gotovina has been a fugitive and an international
warrant has been issued after him.
(hina) sp ha