ZAGREB, Sept 2 (Hina) - Investigators from the Hague-based UN war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia continued an interview with retired Croatian general Mirko Norac in Zagreb on Tuesday, investigating his responsibility in the
1993 Operation "Medak Pocket".
ZAGREB, Sept 2 (Hina) - Investigators from the Hague-based UN war
crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia continued an interview
with retired Croatian general Mirko Norac in Zagreb on Tuesday,
investigating his responsibility in the 1993 Operation "Medak
Pocket". #L#
Norac was sentenced by a court in Rijeka to 12 years in prison
pending appeal for war crimes committed against Serb civilians in
Gospic in 1991. He was transferred from Rijeka, where he has been in
prison for two and a half years, to a prison in Zagreb's suburb of
Remetinec for questioning about his involvement in combined
military and police operations "Medak Pocket" and "Storm".
"They are discussing in detail orders that went ... from Norac to
his units and from the military district to the brigade," one of
Norac's two attorneys, Ivan Kern, said after the morning part of the
interview.
Norac commanded the 9th Guard Brigade, which participated in
Operation "Medak Pocket", carried out by Croatian Army (HV) units
in the Gospic Operations Zone from 9 to 15 September 1993. According
to the tribunal's indictment against General Rahim Ademi and the
late General Janko Bobetko, the HV is charged with the killing of at
least 29 Serb civilians and at least five Serb soldiers, who were
killed in a non-combat situation, as well as with the destruction of
300 houses and farm buildings.
Investigators are in possession of a large number of documents, but
not everything could be documented because there was a war going on,
Kern and the other attorney, Tomislav Sabljar, told reporters.
(hina) rml sb