ZAGREB/THE HAGUE, Nov 18 (Hina) - The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has indicted a former Croatian Serb rebel leader, Milan Babic, for crimes against humanity and violations of the law and customs of
war, committed from 1 August 1991 to 15 February 1992.
ZAGREB/THE HAGUE, Nov 18 (Hina) - The International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has indicted a former
Croatian Serb rebel leader, Milan Babic, for crimes against
humanity and violations of the law and customs of war, committed
from 1 August 1991 to 15 February 1992. #L#
According to the five-count indictment, which was released on
Tuesday, Babic is charged with ethnic cleansing he perpetrated
within a joint criminal enterprise, the purpose of which was "the
permanent forcible removal of the majority of the Croat and other
non-Serb population from approximately one-third of the territory
of the Republic of Croatia, in order to make them part of a new Serb-
dominated state through the commission of crimes in violation of
Articles 3 and 5 of the Statute of the Tribunal".
According to the indictment, which the ICTY Chief Prosecutor
submitted to the tribunal for confirmation on 6 November this year,
besides Babic, others who participated in the joint criminal
enterprise were Slobodan Milosevic, Milan Martic, Goran Hadzic,
Jovica Stanisic, Franko Simatovic, Vojislav Seselj, Blagoje Adzic
and Ratko Mladic.
The indictment alleges that Babic, in his capacity as prime
minister in the so-called Republic of Serb Krajina (RSK),
"formulated, promoted, participated in, and/or encouraged the
development and implementation of SDS (Serb Democratic Party) and
SAO Krajina/RSK governmental policies intended to advance the
objective of the joint criminal enterprise".
The ICTY Prosecution believes that Babic's role was crucial in the
establishment and functioning of bodies of Croatian Serb rebel
authorities who, in cooperation with the Yugoslav People's Army and
police, were trying to accomplish the goals of the joint criminal
enterprise and took part in crimes.
Babic was at the helm of armed forces (known as the Territorial
Defence units) that took part in crimes, and he played a key role in
ensuring the financial, logistic and political support to the
military occupation of Croatia's areas, and assisted in the JNA
troops' deployment and operations in Croatia.
He held inflammatory speeches in order to create an atmosphere of
fear and hatred among Croatian Serbs.
The indictment charges Milan Babic on the basis of his individual
criminal responsibility for crimes perpetrated until 15 February
1992, but the prosecution left a possibility open for his
accountability for crimes committed after that date.
Last December, Babic testified in the ICTY trial against Slobodan
Milosevic, in hearings focusing on the Croatian section of the
Milosevic indictment.
A spokeswoman for the ICTY Prosecution, Florence Hartmann, on
Tuesday declined to answer the question about Babic's current
whereabouts. She would not say whether he would might turn himself
in.
"We have ways of making sure that the indictment is handed to him,"
Hartmann told Hina on the phone.
A spokesman for the ICTY, Jim Landale, told Hina that an order was
enclosed with the indictment which reads that a representative of
the tribunal together with prosecutors had to ensure that the
indictment be given to the indictee.
After Babic's testimony at the Milosevic trial, Belgrade media
reported that only Babic's mother continued to live in a house in
Belgrade's outskirts, where Babic had stayed with his family before
he appeared in The Hague as a witness. The media speculated that he
and his family moved either to Australia or Canada.
(hina) ms sb