SPLIT, Nov 24 (Hina) - Representatives of a coalition of local non-governmental organisations in Split on Sunday expressed their dissatisfaction with the acquittal of defendants in the Lora case and asserted that the panel of judges
in the war crimes trial, presided by Judge Slavko Lozina, had committed many breaches of the legal procedure.
SPLIT, Nov 24 (Hina) - Representatives of a coalition of local non-
governmental organisations in Split on Sunday expressed their
dissatisfaction with the acquittal of defendants in the Lora case
and asserted that the panel of judges in the war crimes trial,
presided by Judge Slavko Lozina, had committed many breaches of the
legal procedure. #L#
Leaders of two NGOs - the Centre for Development of Democracy (CERD)
and Altruist - Semina Loncar and Vojko Ivica said at a news
conference in front of the County Court in the biggest Croatian
coastal city, that this verdict was "new crime committed against
victims in Lora (the war-time military prison) but also against
Croatia, which has thus gone further away from Europe, and closer to
the Hague-based tribunal."
They said the NGOs were not surprised at the verdict, given that "at
the trial, with the approval of the court, the defendants were
hailed as national heroes and witnesses were declared as mentally
incompetent and liars."
The human rights activists said some of the breaches of the
procedure was the decision not to read out statements which
witnesses gave in a court in Belgrade.
Moreover, threats were made against prosecution witnesses who took
the stand, and it has not yet been established who threatened them,
they added.
According to the activists, all this came to a head with the
explanation of Judge Slavko Lozina that no war crimes had been
perpetrated in Lora, as this was not proven.
The Split County Court panel of judges presided by Slavko Lozina on
Friday unanimously acquitted eight former military police who were
charged with war crimes against civilians committed at Split's
former military prison Lora in 1992.
Explaining this ruling of first instance, Judge Lozina said it was
beyond any doubt that there had been cases of harassment in the
prison and that two people died, but he asserted that the trial of
the eight policemen and statements did not prove counts cited in
their indictments.
He said that at the time in question Split was neither a war-hit
area, nor besieged city, and all prisoners - injured parties - were
Croatian citizens. "As war crimes cannot be perpetrated against
one's own people, and in addition to this, there is no evidence that
the crimes cited in the indictments were committed by these
defendants, there are no elements for war crimes," Lozina said.
(hina) ms