NEW WITNESSES FOR PROSECUTION TESTIFY IN GOSPIC ARRESTEES CASE

NEW WITNESSES FOR PROSECUTION TESTIFY IN GOSPIC ARRESTEES CASE RIJEKA, Oct 9 (Hina) - An investigating judge with the county court in Rijeka on Monday interrogated another two witnesses for the prosecution in the pretrial investigation of Tihomir Oreskovic and another four residents of Gospic charged with war crimes committed against civilians in the Gospic area in 1991. According to the defence, today's testimony by a protected witness did not charge the suspects. The defence, however, was displeased with the method of interrogation, namely the use of audio-visual aids, the distortion of image and voice. The identity of protected witnesses should be kept secret only to the public, and definitely not to the defence, attorney Zeljko Dumancic said. The other witness interrogated today was Mirko Kasumovic, former head of the Service for the Protection of the Constitutional Order's office in Gospic and currently deputy head of the Lika-Senj County police. He refused the protected witness treatment. The defence said his testimony charged the defendants to a certain degree, not in the sense the prosecution would have wanted, but still to the dissatisfaction of the defence. Rijeka's deputy state prosecutor Doris Hrast, who represents the prosecution, said the testimonies given by witnesses interrogated thus far to a certain degree played in the hands of the prosecution. He said the testimony which displeased the defence was concrete as it came from an eyewitness to some events from mid-October 1991. The prosecution will propose interrogating another 15-20 new witnesses, most probably starting tomorrow, said Hrast. The pretrial investigation of Tihomir Oreskovic and other Gospic residents in connection with war crimes against civilians resumes on Tuesday, with the interrogation of a witness who was to testify last week. (hina) ha jn