THE HAGUE, March 9 (Hina) - General Tihomir Blaskic on Tuesday denied ever having marked any Muslim village in the Lasva River valley or any other civilian facility as the target of cannon attacks by Croat forces during the 1993
conflict between Bosnian Muslims and Croats. Asked by his attorney Anto Nobilo whether the cannon plan included a village or some other civil facility, Blaskic answered negatively. Blaskic had on previous occasions denied having ordered attacks on civilians and their property in the Lasva valley. The cannon plan, which Croat forces made after the beginning of the Croat-Muslim conflict, contained "exclusively military targets", that is, positions and strategic points held by the enemy, Blaskic said before The Hague Tribunal. Today is the tenth day Blaskic is testifying in his own defence. He is charged with violating Geneva Conventions, the law and customs of war and crimes against
THE HAGUE, March 9 (Hina) - General Tihomir Blaskic on Tuesday
denied ever having marked any Muslim village in the Lasva River
valley or any other civilian facility as the target of cannon
attacks by Croat forces during the 1993 conflict between Bosnian
Muslims and Croats.
Asked by his attorney Anto Nobilo whether the cannon plan included a
village or some other civil facility, Blaskic answered negatively.
Blaskic had on previous occasions denied having ordered attacks on
civilians and their property in the Lasva valley.
The cannon plan, which Croat forces made after the beginning of the
Croat-Muslim conflict, contained "exclusively military targets",
that is, positions and strategic points held by the enemy, Blaskic
said before The Hague Tribunal.
Today is the tenth day Blaskic is testifying in his own defence. He
is charged with violating Geneva Conventions, the law and customs
of war and crimes against humanity, committed by his units in
central Bosnia in 1993, at the time when he was the commander of the
Central Bosnia operation zone.
Grave individual crimes Blaskic is charged with include a cannon
attack on Zenica on April 19, in which 19 civilians were killed.
The prosecution has based the indictment upon the claim that in
April 1993, the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) started conflicts in
Vitez, Busovaca and Kiseljak (central Bosnia), in order to
ethnically cleanse the area, by systematically attacking the
Muslim population and their houses. Military operations were
carefully planned and were supported by cannons and well-
coordinated infantry movements, with targets being Muslim
civilians and their property, the prosecution maintains.
(hina) rml