THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Aug 27 (Hina) - The prosecution at the trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic at the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague on Wednesday called to the witness stand protected witness C-1175, a member of
the Serb Territorial Defence (TO) from the eastern Croatian village of Dalj who testified about the torture of local Croats and Hungarians, cooperation with the former Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and paramilitary forces, and a crime at a farm in Lovas.
THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Aug 27 (Hina) - The prosecution at the trial of
former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic at the U.N. war crimes
tribunal in The Hague on Wednesday called to the witness stand
protected witness C-1175, a member of the Serb Territorial Defence
(TO) from the eastern Croatian village of Dalj who testified about
the torture of local Croats and Hungarians, cooperation with the
former Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and paramilitary forces, and a
crime at a farm in Lovas. #L#
The witness said that in August and September 1991 he had worked at
the TO headquarters in Dalj as a member of TO. The headquarters was
at the time commanded by Pavle Milovanovic and Milorad Stricevic.
At the headquarters the witness saw Croats and Hungarians who were
interrogated and tortured. He also said that the headquarters was
visited by Zeljko Raznatovic Arkan and Milorad Stojcic Badza from
the Serbian Interior Ministry.
The witness also confirmed cooperation between the TO and JNA and
Milovanovic's frequent visits to the JNA unit stationed in Dalj.
He said that prisoners brought from Vukovar had also been tortured
in Dalj, while imprisoned women had been sent to Serbia.
C-1175 also described how several days after the fall of Vukovar
Milovanovic had asked him to help in removing the bodies of Croats
killed at the Lovas farm.
"We went to the Lovas farm, where on a dam I saw 11 or 12 decomposing
bodies which we used a loader to bury. Milovanovic said that they
were killed by TO members from Borovo Selo and that they should be
removed because European monitors were coming," the witness said.
The witness recognised the body of a glazier and photographer from
Vukovar whom he knew. Some of that man's photos were included in
evidence material together with the witness's written statement.
Cross-examining the witness, Milosevic requested that he describe
the beginning of conflicts in Dalj, citing the example of a group of
local Serbs who were taken to Osijek by police and beaten up there in
April 1991, and the example of a police attack on Borovo Selo on May
2. The witness confirmed Milosevic's claims, as well as his
statements about the peace-making role of the JNA.
The witness will resume his testimony on Thursday.
(hina) rml