THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Dec 16 (Hina) - The trial of former Yugoslav General Pavle Strugar, charged with war crimes committed in Croatia's Dubrovnik in 1991, began before the U.N. tribunal in The Hague on Tuesday.
THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Dec 16 (Hina) - The trial of former Yugoslav
General Pavle Strugar, charged with war crimes committed in
Croatia's Dubrovnik in 1991, began before the U.N. tribunal in The
Hague on Tuesday. #L#
At the beginning, the defence asked for a three-day adjournment so
that the 70-year-old Strugar could undergo a medical checkup during
the tribunal's Christmas and New Year's break, from December 20 to
January 12.
The defence voiced serious concern about Strugar's condition,
citing medical records and reiterating what was said yesterday
during a pre-trial conference, namely that the defendant was not
fit to stand trial on account of illness and dementia.
The Trial Chamber has evaluated that nothing in Strugar's medical
records justifies the request for an adjournment and announced that
it will decide about additional checkups this week.
Prosecution representative Phillip Winear said in his opening
statement Strugar was charged with unlawful attacks on civilians
and civilian facilities, notably the 6 December 1991 attack on
Dubrovnik's Old Town.
That shelling was fatal for civilians and destructive for civilian
facilities and Dubrovnik's historical and cultural heritage, which
is under UNESCO's protection, Winear said.
He went on to say that Strugar was appointed commander of the
Yugoslav People's Army's Second Operations Group in October 1991
for the purpose of attacking Dubrovnik and was the superior of all
troops which took part in the attack.
Winear added that Strugar allowed the violation of the Geneva
convention on the protection of civilians and civilian facilities
to go uninvestigated and unpunished.
The prosecution ended its opening statement by playing a 15-minute
video recording of events in Dubrovnik on 6 December 1991, when more
than 1,000 missiles fell on the Old Town, as well as footage of
destruction and plunder in the southern Adriatic resort's area.
Defence lawyers Goran Rodic and Vladimir Petrovic showed they were
unprepared for the start of the trial and said they did not want to
make their opening statement yet.
Strugar is charged on nine counts for breaches of the laws and
customs of war, killings, cruel treatment, attacks on civilians,
and the destruction of sacral, cultural, and historical monuments.
The tribunal's original indictment accused him alongside Admiral
Vladimir Jokic, Vladimir Kovacevic aka Rambo, and Admiral Milan
Zec. The indictment against Zec has been withdrawn.
The trial resumes tomorrow.
(hina) ha sb