THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, March 21 (Hina) - Mladen Naletilic Tuta has been transferred from Zagreb to the detention centre of the Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on Tuesday, the Tribunal said in a
press release. Naletilic has been indicted along with Vinko Martinovic Stela for crimes against humanity, grieve breeches of the Geneva conventions and violations of laws and customs of war. The ICTY said the date of Naletilic's arraignment would be issued at a later date. The date of the beginning of the trial against Naletilic and Martinovic has not been set yet. The trial chamber will be presided by Portuguese judge Almiro Rodrigues. Mladen Naletilic was commander of the so-called Convicts' Battalion which he established in 1991. The battalion was composed of approximately 200 to 300 soldiers. Martinovic was commander of a special unit called "Mrmak" and was Naletilic's sub
THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, March 21 (Hina) - Mladen Naletilic Tuta has been
transferred from Zagreb to the detention centre of the Hague-based
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
on Tuesday, the Tribunal said in a press release.
Naletilic has been indicted along with Vinko Martinovic Stela for
crimes against humanity, grieve breeches of the Geneva conventions
and violations of laws and customs of war.
The ICTY said the date of Naletilic's arraignment would be issued at
a later date.
The date of the beginning of the trial against Naletilic and
Martinovic has not been set yet. The trial chamber will be presided
by Portuguese judge Almiro Rodrigues.
Mladen Naletilic was commander of the so-called Convicts'
Battalion which he established in 1991. The battalion was composed
of approximately 200 to 300 soldiers. Martinovic was commander of a
special unit called "Mrmak" and was Naletilic's subordinate.
""The special unit 'convicts' battalion' along with other units of
the army of the Republic of Croatia and the Croatian Defence Council
(HVO) attacked villages, particularly in the municipalities of
Jablanica and Mostar, and subsequently carried out the expulsion
and forcible transfer of the Bosnian Moslem civilians, arrested
Bosnian Moslem adult males, destroyed Bosnian Moslem properties
and the Sovici mosque," the ICTY indictment entitled "Tuta and
Stela" reads.
"Between April 1993 and at least January 1994, Bosnian Moslem
civilians and prisoners of war under the command of Naletilic and
Martinovic were interned in the Heliodrom detention centre and the
base of the Convicts' battalion sub-unit 'Mrmak', later named
'Vinko Skrobo', under the command of Martinovic.
It is alleged that, during their detention, Bosnian Moslem
detainees were repeatedly tortured by Naletilic and Martinovic and
their subordinates," the indictment says.
"Between May 1993 and at least January 1994, detainees were taken to
the confrontation lines to be used as human shields and to perform
various dangerous military support tasks benefiting the Croatian
Army and HVO," the indictment further reads.
Martinovic was apprehended in Croatia on February 26, 1997 and was
transferred to the ICTY detention on August 9, 1999.
On his initial appearance before the Hague Tribunal on August 12,
1999, Martinovic pleaded "not guilty".
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