RIJEKA, Feb 21 (Hina) - The first military police commander in Gospic in 1991, Stipe Rukavina, testified in the war crimes trial against the so-called Gospic Group at the Rijeka County Court on Thursday. Rukavina said he was appointed
military police commander upon returning to Gospic from Australia. He said he did not know that at the time civilians were abducted from their homes and executed. Jovanka Kuzmanovic, the wife of one of the civilians killed at Lipova Glavica near Perusic, also testified, saying her husband Branko disappeared after being summoned to guard a Gospic bridge. She said that when she went to the Gospic police to ask about her husband, she was told that he was "safe, with Tihomir Oreskovic." That was the first time she heard about Oreskovic, one of the defendants. She later heard from people at Gospic that civilians were abducted and went missing "under Oreskovic's command." Oreskovic
RIJEKA, Feb 21 (Hina) - The first military police commander in
Gospic in 1991, Stipe Rukavina, testified in the war crimes trial
against the so-called Gospic Group at the Rijeka County Court on
Thursday.
Rukavina said he was appointed military police commander upon
returning to Gospic from Australia. He said he did not know that at
the time civilians were abducted from their homes and executed.
Jovanka Kuzmanovic, the wife of one of the civilians killed at
Lipova Glavica near Perusic, also testified, saying her husband
Branko disappeared after being summoned to guard a Gospic bridge.
She said that when she went to the Gospic police to ask about her
husband, she was told that he was "safe, with Tihomir Oreskovic."
That was the first time she heard about Oreskovic, one of the
defendants. She later heard from people at Gospic that civilians
were abducted and went missing "under Oreskovic's command."
Oreskovic refuted Kuzmanovic's testimony, saying she did not
mention him in this context during investigation.
Vladimir Delac, the current husband of Stojanka Boric, who was let
go at the Perusic barracks after having been abducted from her
apartment, also testified today. He said he took Boric and her son
into his apartment when they sought protection in December 1991.
There were no snipers in Gospic at the time, he said, adding he did
not know of anyone having been killed by a sniper's bullet. He also
stated that none of the civilians who were abducted and later
killed, whom he knew, possessed arms or engaged in enemy activity.
Two witnesses summoned for today's hearing failed to turn up. The
trial resumes on Friday.
(hina) ha sb