RIJEKA, Oct 21 (Hina) - Three witnesses will be examined at competent courts in Germany between Wednesday and Friday as part of the war crimes trial of the so-called Gospic Group, which is being held at Croatia's Rijeka County Court,
presiding judge Ika Saric announced last week.
RIJEKA, Oct 21 (Hina) - Three witnesses will be examined at
competent courts in Germany between Wednesday and Friday as part of
the war crimes trial of the so-called Gospic Group, which is being
held at Croatia's Rijeka County Court, presiding judge Ika Saric
announced last week. #L#
Zdenko Bando, Zdenko Ropac, and Tomislav Oreskovic will be examined
in three cities in north-west Germany. These are persons from the
group of Milan Levar, who was killed in 2000. Starting in 1993, they
began speaking to Croatian media about events in the Gospic region
from the autumn of 1991, for which the five defendants are charged
with.
Bando, a military police officer and military police commander in
Gospic in 1991, has been mentioned at the trial as responsible for
abductions of civilians from their homes and basements in Gospic
and Karlobag.
In the past he told the media he had received orders to arrest Serb
civilians with the explanation that they would be exchanged for
Croats, and that he was appalled to learn that they had subsequently
been killed.
Oreskovic was employed with the Gospic police in 1991, while Ropac
worked for the military wiretapping service. It is assumed they are
in possession of numerous data relating to events in Gospic at the
time covered by the indictment.
They moved to Germany for personal security reasons a few years
back. It has been said that they gave statements to investigators
with the UN war crimes tribunal at The Hague.
Judge Saric has confirmed that their status in Germany is not
entirely known. According to some reports, they are protected by
competent German services and have changed their identities. They
were called to testify at the Rijeka court on several occasions, but
did not turn up.
Judge Saric will be present at the German examinations, as will the
Rijeka deputy county state prosecutor, Doris Hrast, and some
defence attorneys.
The main hearing in the Gospic Group trial began last autumn. The
trial of Tihomir Oreskovic, Ivica Rozic, Mirko Norac, Stjepan
Grandic, and Milan Canic resumes on Oct. 28.
(hina) ha sb