WAR CRIMES TRIAL IN "LORA CASE" BEGINS

SPLIT, June 10 (Hina) - The trial of eight former members of the 72nd Military Police battalion, accused of war crimes against Serb civilians at Split's military port prison Lora in 1992, started at the Split County Court on Monday. Presiding over the trial, which started eight months after the arrest of the suspects, is judge Slavko Lozina. #L# The accused are Tomislav Dujic, who is at large and is being tried in absence, Tonci Vrkic, Miljenko Bajic, Josip Bikic, Davor Banic, Emilio Bungur, Ante Gudic, and Andjelko Botic. The defendants' friends and family members greeted their arrival in the courtroom with a loud applause and shouts, prompting judge Lozina to urge silence. The seven defendants pleaded not guilty to all counts of the indictment, which charges them with the torture, abuse and killing of Serb prisoners Nenad Knezevic and Gojko Bulovic. Defendant Tonci Vrkic said he wounded Knezevic while he was trying to escape. Mihael Budimir, former commander of the 72nd battalion who took over the duty in September, after the incriminating events took place, was the first to testify. He said that the defendants performed very responsible duties conscientiously and responsibly. The situation in the battalion at the time was not any different than the situation in other Military Police units, burdened with war events, he said. Budimir resolutely dismissed what he called rumours and media claims that the prisoners at Lora were civilians. "They were members of the intelligence service and the State Security Service of the former federation, who were arrested in line with the law because of their subversive activities. Nobody was taken to Lora without reason," Budimir said. Although he was not present when the events stated in the indictment took place, Budimir was informed in detail about them. "Members of the Military Prosecution in Split were acquainted with the entire case, which was investigated," Budimir said. Asked by the attorney for one of the defendants if Chief State Prosecutor Mladen Bajic, who on March 27 this year issued an indictment in the Lora case and at the time worked at the Military Prosecution, had known about the case, Budimir answered affirmatively. The witness reiterated several times that people taken to the Lora prison were members of enemy intelligence services. Asked by the authorised representative of the Knezevic family who made decisions on who would be detained and for how long, Budimir said that the "investigating judge did it in line with the law". Budimir also spoke about his relations with one of the prosecution witnesses, Mario Barisic, whom he replaced as commander of the Sibenik military police company in 1993. Budimir claimed that Barisic tried to get even with him in all possible ways, through newspapers and by reporting him to his superiors. Answering questions by the defenders and prosecutors, Budimir said that all prisoners at the Lora prison enjoyed all civil rights in line with international conventions. He said that representatives of the International Red Cross, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and Amnesty International described the Lora prison as the best detention centre in Croatia. Sixty-six witnesses are to be questioned in the trial, of whom 14 are from Serbia, who should testify next week. They have not confirmed their arrival yet. Six are willing to testify, four have refused, while two are seeking safety and protection guarantees. The trial resumes tomorrow with the questioning of another four witnesses. (hina) rml