SPLIT, Sept 23 (Hina) - Today's hearing in the trial of eight former members of the 72nd battalion of the Military Police, indicted for war crimes in the Lora penitentiary in Split in 1992, was not held because witness Vedran Perisic
failed to put an appearance before the Split County Court. The subpoena was not served on Perisic on two occasions.
SPLIT, Sept 23 (Hina) - Today's hearing in the trial of eight former
members of the 72nd battalion of the Military Police, indicted for
war crimes in the Lora penitentiary in Split in 1992, was not held
because witness Vedran Perisic failed to put an appearance before
the Split County Court. The subpoena was not served on Perisic on
two occasions. #L#
Perisic was a reserve witness who was to take the stand today
instead of five witnesses from Yugoslavia, prisoners of war
detained at Lora in 1992, who decided against arriving in Split.
At the beginning of today's hearing, presiding Judge Slavko Lozina
read an official document of the Justice Ministry, with an enclosed
note of the Yugoslav Embassy reading that the witnesses which
should have taken the stand on September 23 decided against
arriving in Split to testify. The reasons were not stated.
Defence attorney Doris Kosta demanded of a prosecution
representative, Michelle Squiccimaro, to voice his opinion on the
decision of the witnesses from Yugoslavia, which Judge Lozina
overruled. The prosecution will voice its opinion later.
Zeljko Maglov, former commander of the 73rd battalion, should take
the stand on Tuesday.
(hina) it