THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, May 6 (Hina) - The Hague tribunal's prosecution has filed indictments against Jovica Stanisic, former head of Serbia's state security (SDB), and Franko Simatovic aka Frenki, former chief of SDB's intelligence, on
charges of crimes against humanity and violations of the laws and customs of war.
THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, May 6 (Hina) - The Hague tribunal's prosecution
has filed indictments against Jovica Stanisic, former head of
Serbia's state security (SDB), and Franko Simatovic aka Frenki,
former chief of SDB's intelligence, on charges of crimes against
humanity and violations of the laws and customs of war. #L#
According to the indictment, issued on the tribunal's Internet site
on Tuesday, Stanisic and Simatovic are accused on individual
responsibility of crimes against humanity, including persecution
on political, racial, or religious grounds, murders, deportations,
and inhumane acts, and of violations of the laws and customs of war
committed through killings, all in the period between April 1991
and December 1995.
They are charged with aiding and abetting in the joint criminal
enterprise, the aim of which was the forced and permanent
relocation of non-Serbs, mainly Croatians and Bosnian Muslims and
Croats on larger areas of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, for the
purpose of creating a new Serb-dominated state.
Stanisic and Simatovic participated in forming, financing, and
equipping SDB special units and directed SDB members and agents who
took part in crimes, reads the indictment.
They are also charged with providing arms, means, training,
logistics and other support to special SDB units which committed
crimes in Croatia and Bosnia.
The indictment states that by May 1991 the SDB had set up or helped
finance secret units whose goal was to carry special military
operations in Croatia and Bosnia.
These units included the "Red Berets", whose chief commander was
Simatovic, Zeljko Raznatovic aka Arkan's "Tigers", the "Martic
Police", the Serb police in eastern Croatia, and Units for Special
Operations and Anti-Terrorist Activities.
Simatovic and Stanisic are also charged with the killing of 255
civilians from the general hospital in eastern Croatia's Vukovar.
The indictment states that Simatovic, with Stanisic's approval,
helped set up a centre in Golubici near Knin in southern Croatia for
the training of armed units. It also says that dozens of other such
SDB-financed centres were set up.
Serbia-Montenegro Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic has said the
indictment is not a surprise and has announced the two indictees
might be turned over to the Hague tribunal in a week or two, after
the completion of proceedings envisaged by the law.
Stanisic and Simatovic are in detention in Belgrade. They were
arrested during the police operation "Sabre", launched after the
March 12 assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic.
(hina) ha sb