BJELOVAR, Jan 24 (Hina) - The Bjelovar County Court on Thursday delivered non-final verdicts sentencing three of four Virovitica residents to one year in prison for war crimes against civilians, while the principal indictee, Zeljko
Iharos, was acquitted and released. Former military police officers Ivan Vrban, Andjelko Kasaj and Luka Perak were sentenced to one year in prison. The four months they have spent in custody will be counted into their sentence. The court ruled they were guilty of the abduction and torture of Serb civilians at a Virovitica barracks prison between early November and mid-December 1991. Explaining the verdict, judge Bozidar Iverac said the court had ruled the minimum sentence because it had taken into account that the convicts fought in the Homeland War and that the crimes they were charged with had been committed in war. The three were also charged with the killing of Virovitica Serb
BJELOVAR, Jan 24 (Hina) - The Bjelovar County Court on Thursday
delivered non-final verdicts sentencing three of four Virovitica
residents to one year in prison for war crimes against civilians,
while the principal indictee, Zeljko Iharos, was acquitted and
released.
Former military police officers Ivan Vrban, Andjelko Kasaj and Luka
Perak were sentenced to one year in prison. The four months they
have spent in custody will be counted into their sentence.
The court ruled they were guilty of the abduction and torture of
Serb civilians at a Virovitica barracks prison between early
November and mid-December 1991.
Explaining the verdict, judge Bozidar Iverac said the court had
ruled the minimum sentence because it had taken into account that
the convicts fought in the Homeland War and that the crimes they
were charged with had been committed in war.
The three were also charged with the killing of Virovitica Serbs
Ranko Mitric and Bogdan Mudrinic. However, these charges were
dropped for lack of evidence.
As none of the witnesses during the four-day trial made any charges
against the principal indictee Iharos, he was acquitted of charges
of ordering as the then military police commander the abduction of
civilians, their torture and the disposal of the bodies of dead
prisoners.
The court ruled that Iharos could not have known about the
"individual excesses" of his subordinates and everything that was
going on at the prison.
The prosecution has announced an appeal against the verdict.
(hina) rml