RIJEKA, May 16 (Hina) - The trial of the so-called "Gospic Group" before the Rijeka County Court was postponed on Thursday due to the failure of five witnesses to appear in court.
RIJEKA, May 16 (Hina) - The trial of the so-called "Gospic Group"
before the Rijeka County Court was postponed on Thursday due to the
failure of five witnesses to appear in court. #L#
The witnesses, including the victims' relatives, were to testify
about the abduction of civilians from Gospic and Karlobag.
So far, around 80 witnesses have testified for the prosecution in
the trial.
According to the indictment, a former secretary of the operative
headquarters for the central region of Lika, Tihomir Oreskovic,
retired general and former commander of the 118th Gospic Brigade
Mirko Norac, and Norac's deputy Milan Canic are accused of ordering
the abduction and execution of a dozen Gospic civilians at
Pazariste near Gospic in mid-November 1991. Norac is also charged
with the murder of a woman at Pazariste, whom he allegedly singled
out and shot dead.
Oreskovic, Norac and Canic are accused of ordering another
indictee, Stjepan Grandic, a former commander of the 118th Perusic
Brigade, to imprison some 20 civilians at the Perusic barracks and
execute them.
Oreskovic and Norac are also charged with ordering indictee Ivica
Rozic to abduct and kill three civilians from Karlobag in late
October 1991. Rozic killed the three at Ravni Dabar on Mt. Velebit
on the same day they were abducted.
The trial resumes on Monday, May 27.
(hina) rml sb