ZAGREB, Feb 16 (Hina) - A former president of the Croatian Helsinki Committee (HHO) for human rights, Ivan Zvonimir Cicak, on Wednesday visited Mladen Naletilic Tuta, an indictee for war crimes, at Naletilic's request. After the
meeting, Cicak said to reporters that Naletilic had told him that he did not want to go to The Hague and would like to die in Croatia. Naletilic was charged by The Hague War Crimes Tribunal (ICTY) with crimes against humanity, serious breaches of the Geneva Convention and the laws and customs of war that he allegedly committed as the commander of the so called "convicts' battalion" during the Croat-Muslim conflict in Bosnia in 1993. Croatia's Constitutional Court has postponed a decision on Naletilic's extradition to The Hague due to his poor health. Cicak added that during the one-and-half-hour-long talks he held with Naletilic in the Zagreb pris
ZAGREB, Feb 16 (Hina) - A former president of the Croatian Helsinki
Committee (HHO) for human rights, Ivan Zvonimir Cicak, on Wednesday
visited Mladen Naletilic Tuta, an indictee for war crimes, at
Naletilic's request.
After the meeting, Cicak said to reporters that Naletilic had told
him that he did not want to go to The Hague and would like to die in
Croatia.
Naletilic was charged by The Hague War Crimes Tribunal (ICTY) with
crimes against humanity, serious breaches of the Geneva Convention
and the laws and customs of war that he allegedly committed as the
commander of the so called "convicts' battalion" during the Croat-
Muslim conflict in Bosnia in 1993. Croatia's Constitutional Court
has postponed a decision on Naletilic's extradition to The Hague
due to his poor health.
Cicak added that during the one-and-half-hour-long talks he held
with Naletilic in the Zagreb prison hospital where Naletilic had
been transferred from the Rebro clinic a day before, he had
suggested to this Bosnian Croat to voluntarily travel to The Hague,
as it would help Croatia for which, as Naletilic said, he has been
fighting all his life.
In Cicak's mind, another reason for his departure will be better and
high-quality medial treatment in The Hague compared to conditions
in the Zagreb prison hospital.
Quoting the example of a former Chilean President, General
Pinochet, whom Great Britain does not want to hand over to Spain due
to his illness, Cicak asserted that this precedent must be applied
in the Naletilic case.
"First of all, we see to it that human life is above any other
value," Cicak said adding that during their conversation Naletilic
was speaking in the composed and coherent manner.
"If Tuta be transferred because the political will, new authorities
will break their promise that they will advocate rule of law," said
Naletilic's defence lawyer, Kresimir Krsnik.
Attorney Krsnik announced that he would instigate procedures
before the Hague Tribunal and the European Court of Human Rights to
establish that his client is not fit to face trial.
Naletilic underwent a surgery due to his heart problems.
My client is in a critical condition and is not able to go to the
Hague, Krsnik cautioned, adding that this had been established by a
team of Croatian doctors last week.
Krsnik greeted an announcement that the Tribunal would again send a
team of doctors to check Naletilic's condition and see if he can
travel to the Netherlands.
Both Cicak and Krsnik were sure that Croatian Justice Minister
Stjepan Ivanisevic would do his best to help protect the
fundamental human right - the right to life.
(hina) ms