RIJEKA, March 19 (Hina) - The concluding arguments by four defendants at Rijeka County Court on Wednesday ended the main hearing in the trial against the "Gospic group". Tomislav Sabljar, an attorney defending the fourth defendant,
Mirko Norac, also gave his closing argument.
RIJEKA, March 19 (Hina) - The concluding arguments by four
defendants at Rijeka County Court on Wednesday ended the main
hearing in the trial against the "Gospic group". Tomislav Sabljar,
an attorney defending the fourth defendant, Mirko Norac, also gave
his closing argument. #L#
Sabljar claimed that retired general Mirko Norac, who was the
commander of the 118th Gospic Brigade at the beginning of the war,
was charged without any foundations. The lawyer said that there was
no written evidence that Norac had ordered the abduction and
liquidation of civilians, as charged, nor had any of the witnesses
made any such claims during the trial.
Sabljar said that civilians had been taken away by military
policemen who were not under Norac's command but rather they were
commanded by the president of the Civil Crisis Council for Lika,
Ante Karic, who was the head commander in the Gospic region at the
time.
The defence attorney further pointed out that the charges that
Norac personally killed one woman during the liquidation of
civilians in Pazariste, i.e. that he singled her out from a group of
civilians, was a tendentious attempt to discredit one of the
cleanest figures in this process. Sabljar admitted that crimes were
committed in Gospic at the time but Norac did not take part in them.
Sabljar pointed out that Norac had saved many lives often
sacrificing himself and that he was a war hero and a pride to
Croatia. The lawyer pointed out the main events in Norac's
engagement in the war. He said that Norac did not take advantage of
the war circumstances for his own good and that he only has a small
flat in Zagreb and a miserable pension allowance.
He presented the chair of the panel of judges, Judge Ika Saric, with
a poster of the public protests in support of Norac asking for his
freedom. Sabljar requested that the poster be submitted as official
evidence.
In their summation the defendants Tihomir Oreskovic and Norac
reiterated their defence arguments rejecting the charges.
Oreskovic repeated his claims of the influence of the intelligence-
political underground on the trial. He said this was reflection of
political conflict at a higher level. "If the incumbent president
(Stjepan Mesic) wishes that his friends be protected then let it
be," Oreskovic pointed out and added that he would rather he was
made a sacrifice for honourable people and not the darkest figures
in recent Croatian history.
Defendant Stjepan Grandic just said that everything was clear to
everyone here in the court room.
Other defendant Ivica Rozic said he was not guilty for the crimes he
was accused of but he could only be guilty for being a Croat.
The verdict will be given on Monday at 10 a.m.
Oreskovic and Norac are accused for ordering the abduction and
liquidation of at least 50 civilians, mostly ethnic Serbs from the
Gospic and Karlobag areas in October 1991. Norac is further charged
with the murder of a woman.
Stjepan Grandic is charged with organising and implementing the
detention of civilians in the Perusic barracks and later having
them killed at Lipova Glavica. Ivica Rozic is accused of the
abduction and murder of three Karlobag Serbs on Crni Dabar on Mt.
Velebit. Milan Canic, who was the fifth defendant in this group, was
acquitted last week of all charges.
During the main hearing, which lasted 14 months, over 150 witnesses
took the witness stand at Rijeka County Court. The pre-trial
proceedings commenced in September 2000.
(hina) sp ms sb