SIBENIK SIBENIK, Nov 12 (Hina) - The trial of Dusan Novakovic from Muc, suspected of war crimes against prisoners of war, resumed before the Sibenik County Court on Tuesday. Three witnesses, former members of the Croatian Army 4th
Guard Brigade, who were imprisoned in the Serb penitentiary in Knin, were heard today.
SIBENIK, Nov 12 (Hina) - The trial of Dusan Novakovic from Muc,
suspected of war crimes against prisoners of war, resumed before
the Sibenik County Court on Tuesday. Three witnesses, former
members of the Croatian Army 4th Guard Brigade, who were imprisoned
in the Serb penitentiary in Knin, were heard today. #L#
None of the witnesses identified the defendant as the one who
tortured them.
Novakovic is indicted for having frequently beaten up and molested
imprisoned Croatian soldiers while he was serving his sentence in
the Knin prison as a member of the Territorial Defence of the so-
called (Serb) SAO Krajina. He thus violated the international law
and inhumanely treated prisoners of war. In 1993, Novakovic was
convicted for these crimes in absentia to ten year in prison. The
re-trial is taking place at his request, after he was arrested in
Split in August upon his return from Yugoslavia.
At the beginning of the trial, Novakovic entered a plea of not
guilty. He said he was not in Knin at the time he allegedly committed
the crimes. Other witnesses, former prisoners of war, who had been
tortured in the Knin penitentiary, failed to put an appearance in
court. In line with the decision of Presiding Judge Dalibor Dukic,
the witnesses will be brought to court to identify the defendant.
(hina) it sb