RIJEKA, Oct 8 (Hina) - General Mirko Norac's attorney Tomislav Sabljar told Hina on Wednesday he would appeal the ruling whereby the Rijeka County Court sentenced his client to 12 years' imprisonment for war crimes against
civilians.
RIJEKA, Oct 8 (Hina) - General Mirko Norac's attorney Tomislav
Sabljar told Hina on Wednesday he would appeal the ruling whereby
the Rijeka County Court sentenced his client to 12 years'
imprisonment for war crimes against civilians. #L#
Sabljar said his appeal would claim, as had the defence, that Norac
was not guilty of having ordered and participated in the detention
and killing of civilians in the central Croatian Gospic area in the
autumn of 1991.
The attorney declined to go into details, saying he was still
analysing the ruling Judge Ika Saric had sent him in writing four
days ago. The document has over 360 pages.
In the verbal summary of the ruling in late March, Saric, who
presided the trial, said that in the autumn of 1991, Tihomir
Oreskovic, then secretary for the Lika regional crisis management
committee, and Norac, then commander of the Croatian army's 118th
Gospic Brigade, had arranged and ordered the detention and killing
of at least 50 civilians, mainly Croatian Serbs, from the Gospic and
Perusic area.
During trial it was established that Oreskovic had been the
initiator and the most responsible person in Gospic for those war
crimes, and that Norac had personally taken part in the mass
killings of civilians. The ruling stated that the then commander of
the barracks in Perusic, Stjepan Grandic, on Oreskovic and Norac's
orders had detained the civilians in the barracks as well as
organised and carried out the killing about 20 civilians at Lipova
Glavica.
Oreskovic was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment, Norac to 12 and
Grandic to 10. None of the sentences are final and all will be
appealed, according to announcements by defence teams.
After the trial, the Rijeka county state prosecutor's office
announced an appeal against the acquittal of Ivica Rozic, who had
been charged with the abduction and killing of three civilians from
Karlobag. He was acquitted due to lack of evidence.
The appeals have to be lodged with the Croatian Supreme Court within
15 days of receipt of the rulings in writing.
(hina) ha