HEINOUS CRIMES OCCURRED IN C-BLOK OF LORA PENITENTIARY -- MAJIC

SPLIT, Sept 30 (Hina) - The initiation of an enquiry into the murder of two Serb civilians in the Lora military prison in 1992 is the start of discovering the truth about events from 1992 to 1997 in the prison which was, according to some witnesses, the site of bestialities, Tonci Majic of the Dalmatian Committee for Human Rights, says. The committee president claims that top government officials, including the (late) President Franjo Tudjman, were acquainted with happenings in Lora prison. The non-government association allegedly possesses several authentic testimonies of survived prisoners. Back in April 1992, the International Red Cross requested its representatives visit the prison, Majic told Hina. The request was the reason an internal inspection was sent to Lora to ascertain and take care of the situation in the prison before the red cross officials arrive. The Lora military prison consisted of three blocks. Block A was used as a detention facility for members of the Croatian army. Prisoners registered with international humanitarian organisations were held in block B, and those not registered and about whom the International Red Cross knew nothing about, were imprisoned in block C. "Block C even shocked the Croatian Military Police internal inspection," Majic said. The military police stated in their report that the walls of block C, stained with blood, were painted over before the arrival of the red cross representatives, that water red with blood mopped off the floor was removed, as had been an induction telephone used for torture, and prisoners, whose state could not be covered up, hidden. Military inspectors informed president Tudjman about everything personally, but with no result, Majic said. A military police officer who led the inspection is today a chief witness for the prosecution. Since the start of the enquiry, he has been a protected witness and. Despite the fact that he is well protected, Majic said, the witness still fears for his life. In 1992, Majic said, a "group of bandits" took over all control in Lora and did whatever they wanted. "Most of the military police who tried to stop it gave up in fear for their own lives, as the group was under the protection of Military Police commander, Mate Lausic, and the then top government officials," Majic claims. The entire case of Lora is at The Hague (international war crime tribunal), Majic said, adding it was encouraging that the Hague prosecution had not spoken about it yet, as it was evident the tribunal wished the Croatian judiciary to show its maturity and solve the Lora prison case on its own. According to official Croatian military documents dating from this May, a total of 1,005 prisoners were placed in the Lora military prison, of whom 70 disappeared, according to assessments of the Dalmatian Committee for Human Rights. Tonci Majic also includes people who the Croatian army handed over to the military police of the Lora prison, but never arrived there, or any trace of them perished there. A Split County Court judge initiated an enquiry into the crimes at Lora prison on September 29. Eight persons are suspected of cries against humanity, international law and war crime against civilians. Out of the eight, seven were apprehended, and an arrest warrant was issued for the prison commander, Tomo Duic. International human rights organisations Amnesty International and Helsinki Watch spoke about the tortures in Lora in a joint report back in September 1993. The case was also mentioned a year ago by a special UN envoy for human rights, Tadeusz Mazowiecki. (hina) lml