OSIJEK, June 16 (Hina) - The trial of Nikola Ivankovic and Enes Viteskic, indicted of war crimes against civilians in Paulin Dvor outside Osijek on December 11, 1991, continued Monday with a witness testimony at the Osijek County
Court.
OSIJEK, June 16 (Hina) - The trial of Nikola Ivankovic and Enes
Viteskic, indicted of war crimes against civilians in Paulin Dvor
outside Osijek on December 11, 1991, continued Monday with a
witness testimony at the Osijek County Court. #L#
As members of the 130th Croatian Army brigade, the two planned and
killed 19 Serbs from Paulin Dvor, with the cooperation of several
unidentified persons, says the indictment.
A former commander of Osijek's operations zone, Karl Gorinsek, took
the stand today. He said he had been informed about the killing of
civilians the same night and it had been decided at a meeting with
competent military officials to launch an investigation led by
officials of the secret service and Military Police.
Gorinsek said it had also been decided to bury the civilians at a
local cemetery. But later he found out the bodies were buried at a
nearby military warehouse.
The witness said he had no intention of covering up the crime,
adding that the murder case of Paulin Dvor civilians had been one of
the reasons for which the then commander of the 130th Brigade,
Nikola Hudjin, had been replaced.
Gorinsek said he had done everything in his power at the time, but
the secret service and Military Police had not been directly under
the command of the Osijek operations zone but of the defence
ministry, so he could not have influenced their activities.
There were many disciplinary problems in the 130th Brigade which
was still being formed at the time, he said. In reply to a question
by Ivankovic's attorney, Gorinsek said mobilised army members were
not professional soldiers and many of them had not been familiar
with war law conventions.
The trial continues tomorrow.
(hina) lml