RIJEKA, March 5 (Hina) - The indictment issued by the State Prosecutor's Office in Rijeka County on Monday against five persons accused of war crimes committed against civilians, which was given to reporters by defence attorneys
without the text explaining the indictment, charges Tihomir Oreskovic, Ivica Rozic, Stjepan Grandic, Mirko Norac and Milan Canic with war crimes against humanity and international law in the central Croatian area of Gospic between 14 and 25 October 1991.
RIJEKA, March 5 (Hina) - The indictment issued by the State
Prosecutor's Office in Rijeka County on Monday against five persons
accused of war crimes committed against civilians, which was given
to reporters by defence attorneys without the text explaining the
indictment, charges Tihomir Oreskovic, Ivica Rozic, Stjepan
Grandic, Mirko Norac and Milan Canic with war crimes against
humanity and international law in the central Croatian area of
Gospic between 14 and 25 October 1991. #L#
According to the indictment, Oreskovic, Norac and Canic ordered at
a meeting in the Gospic crisis headquarters the execution of Serbs
and Croats who had been previously arrested upon their orders, and
organised the transport of some of those persons to Pazariste,
where they all went after the meeting.
At Pazariste, using firearms, they killed the civilians, including
Bozidar Tomicic and Nikola Ivanisevic.
Mirko Norac is also charged with having executed from his firearms
an unidentified woman, after separating her from other civilians.
According to the indictment, the accused ordered the third
indictee, Stjepan Grandic, commander of the military barracks at
Perusic, to imprison and execute Serb and Croat civilians who had
been previously transported to the barracks, which he, acting upon
these orders, did together with other Croatian Army members at
Lipova Glavica on October 18, 1991.
Norac and Oreskovic ordered the second indictee, Ivica Rozic, to
abduct three civilians from their homes in Karlobag and kill them,
which Rozic, together with three other unidentified persons, did at
Crni Dabar on Mt. Velebit on October 25, 1991.
It is suggested in the indictment that, due to crimes against
humanity and international law, the Rijeka County Court conduct a
trial and question several dozen witnesses. It is also suggested
that evidence be obtained by gaining insight into numerous
documents, autopsy reports compiled during the identification of
Debelo Brdo victims, topographic charts, video tapes, notes and
other materials.
It is also proposed that detention be extended for all indictees, a
measure the Rijeka County Court will consider tomorrow in the
presence of defence attorneys.
(hina) rml