PAULIN DVOR BURIED PAULIN DVOR, July 15 (Hina) - The bodies of 14 Serb civilians killed in Paulin Dvor in late 1991 were buried in a common grave in this village near the eastern city of Osijek on Tuesday.
PAULIN DVOR, July 15 (Hina) - The bodies of 14 Serb civilians killed
in Paulin Dvor in late 1991 were buried in a common grave in this
village near the eastern city of Osijek on Tuesday. #L#
A total of 19 civilians were killed in the village on 11 December
1991. There are suspicions that they were originally buried near a
military depot at Lug and then reburied in a mass grave at Rizvanusa
near Gospic, central Croatia. Eighteen bodies were exhumed there
last year, while one was exhumed in Paulin Dvor.
Nikola Ivankovic and Enes Viteskic have been charged by the Osijek
County Court with committing war crimes against civilians in this
case. According to the charges, they arrived in Paulin Dvor on 11
December 1991 with a number of as yet unidentified persons carrying
firearms and hand grenades and killed 19 Serb civilians as an act of
revenge.
The burial was attended by about 300 people, including Serbia-
Montenegro's consul to Croatia, Aleksandar Besarabic, the deputy
prefect of Osijek County, Mile Horvat, and representatives of the
joint council of Serb-majority municipalities, the Independent
Democratic Serb Party (SDSS), the Serb People's Party (SNS) and
non-governmental organisations. The funeral service was led by
Orthodox Bishop Lukijan.
"This is the first time the State has recognised that a crime was
committed against Serb civilians and has helped with their
identification and burial, and we are grateful for it," SDSS leader
Vojislav Stanimirovic told reporters.
He said he was convinced that investigations into other cases would
continue and that Serb victims would be buried with dignity.
(hina) vm sb