EIGHT WITNESSES TESTIFY IN WAR CRIMES TRIAL OF 13 CROATIAN SERBS

OSIJEK, Oct 27 (Hina) - The Osijek County Court investigating judge on Friday examined eight witnesses in the trial of 13 Serbs from the eastern region of Baranja accused of war crimes against civilians. Two witnesses who had explicitly claimed that Petar Mamula and Slobodan Djuric, two of the accused, had maltreated and beat them, were later asked to point them out of the 13, but said they were not among them. Despite identical names, evidently those were not the same people, said attorney Domagoj Resetar. "Most witnesses refuted the testimonies they gave the investigating judge two years ago" and today testified differently, he told Hina. Resetar expects the Constitutional Court will rule on appeals against illegal detention. "I believe the legal system will finally start functioning," he said. The 30-day detention set by investigating judge Mladen Filipovic expires on Nov. 7. Two of the accused, Dragan Karagaca and Nikola Alaica, on hunger strike since Oct. 24, seek talks with the justice minister, Serb MP Milorad Pupovac, representatives of the Croatian Helsinki Committee on human rights and international organisations. (hina) ha