ZAGREB, Sept 13 (Hina) - Five men, including Croatian Army General Tihomir Oreskovic, arrested on Tuesday on suspicion that they committed war crimes against the civilian population, on Wednesday pleaded not guilty before an
investigating judge in the central town of Gospic, Oreskovic's defence lawyer Zeljko Dumancic told reporters.
ZAGREB, Sept 13 (Hina) - Five men, including Croatian Army General
Tihomir Oreskovic, arrested on Tuesday on suspicion that they
committed war crimes against the civilian population, on Wednesday
pleaded not guilty before an investigating judge in the central
town of Gospic, Oreskovic's defence lawyer Zeljko Dumancic told
reporters.#L#
A recently killed witness for the Hague-based International
Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Milan Levar, had
accused Oreskovic, who used to be the secretary of the Gospic-based
war crisis centre for Lika in 1991, of committing war crimes.
"Tihomir Oreskovic is proud of being a legend of the Gospic region
and he wants to see his name finally cleared," his defence counsel
said, adding that earlier today he had received many letters and
calls from individuals and war veterans' associations supporting
his defendant.
According to Croatian Radio, indignant Gospic residents gathered
in front of the court building where the five suspects had been
questioned.
The five persons, brought before the investigating judge in Gospic
Wednesday morning, are suspected of having committed war crimes
against civilians, investigating judge Pavao Rukavina told Hina in
a statement Wednesday.
Rukavina added an investigation had not been launched, but that
questioning of the suspects was underway.
This officially confirms the apprehension of five persons out of a
dozen arrested on Tuesday in Gospic, Karlovac and Zagreb.
On Tuesday evening, Defence Minister Jozo Rados said he had heard of
the arrest of Croatian General Ivan Andabak, who was wanted by the
ICTY for an interview.
General Andabak, arrested in Karlovac on Tuesday, was a close
associate to Mladen Naletilic Tuta, a Bosnian Croat awaiting trial
before the ICTY for atrocities he allegedly committed in the Mostar
area. Andabak was a deputy commander of Tuta's Convicts Battalion.
A spokesman for the Zagreb police, Goran Volarevic, today declined
to comment on yesterday's arrests. The spokesman told reporters
that Croatian Interior Minster Sime Lucin ordered a news embargo
about Tuesday's police operation. He also declined to say whether
the operation had been jointly conducted by the Interior and
Defence Ministries.
(hina) jn ms