ZAGREB, Sept 6 (Hina) - Attorney Anto Nobilo said in Zagreb Wednesday that the apprehension of Ante Sliskovic and Tomislav Vlajic, suspected of having taken part in the killing of some hundred Moslem civilians in Ahmici seven years
ago, "may mean a lot or very little for the defence of General Blaskic."
ZAGREB, Sept 6 (Hina) - Attorney Anto Nobilo said in Zagreb
Wednesday that the apprehension of Ante Sliskovic and Tomislav
Vlajic, suspected of having taken part in the killing of some
hundred Moslem civilians in Ahmici seven years ago, "may mean a lot
or very little for the defence of General Blaskic." #L#
"If the only issue is the determination of their criminal
liability, it would not mean a lot for General Blaskic's defence.
However, if the background, those who made orders, is uncovered,
that could mean acquittal for Blaskic," defence attorney for the
former commander of Central Bosnia Operative Zone said in a
telephone conversation Wednesday.
Blaskic was sentenced to 45 years in prison this March by the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
He was a commanding officer of the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) in
Central Bosnia at the time when Bosnian Croats carried out the
massacre in the Ahmici village.
Nobilo based Blaskic's defence on proving the existence of a
parallel line of command, but had failed to prove that the crime in
Ahmici had occurred without Blaskic's knowledge.
Nobilo, who is preparing an appeal against the sentence, said he
would very carefully follow the proceedings against Sliskovic to
see whether facts uncovered at the trial would help the appeals
procedure.
The name of Ante Sliskovic, Blaskic's assistant for the Security
and Intelligence service in Central Bosnia, was frequently
mentioned at Blaskic's trial. Blaskic's defence accused Sliskovic
for having concealed results of an investigation into the crime.
Vlajic and Sliskovic, both citizens of Croatia, were apprehended on
Monday and Tuesday, respectively, in the southern Croatian town of
Zadar.
Croatian legislature makes it possible for trials to be held
against Croatian citizens who had allegedly committed crimes in
another country, and a constitutional law regulates the
extradition of Croatian citizens who are war crimes suspects to the
ICTY.
The laws in force exclude the possibility of extradition to another
country, in this case to Bosnia-Herzegovina, in which the above
mentioned crime occurred on April 16, 1993.
(hina) lml jn