RIJEKA ADJOURNED, DEFENDANTS QUARREL RIJEKA, Sept 17 (Hina) - The war crimes trial of the so-called Gospic group at the Rijeka County Court was adjourned on Monday at the request of the defence of one indictee owing to his poor
health. In a break of today's hearing, which resumed after a summer recess, an incident occurred involving two defendants, Mirko Norac and Tihomir Oreskovic. Oreskovic's attorneys say Norac assaulted their client, while the Norac defence says there was just some pushing. According to the defence, Oreskovic suffers from a series of ailments, including post-traumatic stress disorder. They requested the trial be adjourned and their client examined by a team of doctors to evaluate if he is fit to stand trial. After the break in which Oreskovic was diagnosed with high blood pressure, the president of the panel of judges, Ika Skaric, adjourned but did not postpone the trial. Doctors should examine Oreskovic later today. His a
RIJEKA, Sept 17 (Hina) - The war crimes trial of the so-called
Gospic group at the Rijeka County Court was adjourned on Monday at
the request of the defence of one indictee owing to his poor
health.
In a break of today's hearing, which resumed after a summer recess,
an incident occurred involving two defendants, Mirko Norac and
Tihomir Oreskovic. Oreskovic's attorneys say Norac assaulted their
client, while the Norac defence says there was just some pushing.
According to the defence, Oreskovic suffers from a series of
ailments, including post-traumatic stress disorder. They
requested the trial be adjourned and their client examined by a team
of doctors to evaluate if he is fit to stand trial.
After the break in which Oreskovic was diagnosed with high blood
pressure, the president of the panel of judges, Ika Skaric,
adjourned but did not postpone the trial. Doctors should examine
Oreskovic later today.
His attorneys informed Skaric that Norac had punched Oreskovic in
the head. One of them, Zeljko Olujic, later told reporters he was
shocked at the assault and the fact that such a thing could even
happen.
Norac's attorney Tomislav Sabljar said his client did not hit
Oreskovic but only pushed him after Oreskovic made a rude comment on
Norac's remark that Oreskovic was stalling the trial.
The trial, which began on June 25, should resume on Tuesday. It has
been interrupted twice following requests from Oreskovic's defence
for the exemption of Rijeka County Court and state attorney
officials who they claimed were biased to the defendants'
detriment.
Mirko Norac, Milan Canic, Tihomir Oreskovic, Ivica Rozic, and
Stjepan Grandic are charged with the execution of groups of Croats
and ethnic Serbs in Lipova Glavica and Pazariste near Gospic in
central Croatia, and the abduction of three residents of Karlobag
who were later killed.
Another three men, Ivan Jovanovic, Joso Miletic, and Martin
Markovic, were also under an investigation which was launched last
September. The prosecution subsequently dropped the charges
against them.
(hina) ha