OSIJEK, Dec 29 (Hina) - Croatia's Supreme Court has overturned the ruling of the Osijek County Court which acquitted two local Serbs and ordered their retrial for war crimes. The Supreme Court made the final verdict on acquitting of
war crimes another three men from the so-called Sodolovci Group.
OSIJEK, Dec 29 (Hina) - Croatia's Supreme Court has overturned the
ruling of the Osijek County Court which acquitted two local Serbs and
ordered their retrial for war crimes. The Supreme Court made the final
verdict on acquitting of war crimes another three men from the
so-called Sodolovci Group.#L#
The Supreme Court published its verdicts on its Internet site on
Monday, announcing that it upheld the State Prosecution's appeal
against the County Court's ruling on the acquittal of Goran Vusurovic
and Marinko Stankovic from the Sodolovci Group.
The Osijek County Court is ordered to organise the retrial of the two
defendants.
According to the decision the Supreme Court made on 27 November, the
court rejected the Prosecution's appeal against the acquittal of
Zeljko Keskenovic, Pero Klickovic and Vujo Halavanja, These three men
were thus acquitted of war crimes charges, according to the final
ruling.
In May 2000, the Osijek County Court ruled that all five men should be
set free.
In 1995, they were tried in absentia and found guilty of war crimes
which they, as members of Serb paramilitary troops, committed in
artillery attacks on Djakovo, Koritno, Kesinci, Mrzovici, Semeljci
and Vladislavci in 1991 and 1992. In the attacks, ten people were
killed and more than 30 were wounded. In addition, substantial
material damage was caused. The first-instance court sentenced them
to many years in prison.
After the County Court in Osijek overturned long-term prison sentences
and acquitted the indictees, the prosecutors in the case appealed
against such a ruling.
Of 19 members of the Sodolovci Group tried in absentia of war crimes
and found guilty in 1995, 14 are not available to Croatia's
judiciary.
(Hina) ms