VUKOVAR COUNTY COURT SENTENCES WAR CRIMES CONVICTS

VUKOVAR, June 25 (Hina) - The Vukovar County Court on Friday sentenced to 12 to 15 years in prison seven persons convicted of war crimes against civilians during the Serb aggression on Croatia. Milo Vukelic Cita, 36, who was the only one attending the trial, Nedeljko Markovic, 29, Dragan Bogdanovic, 27, Miroslav Matijevic, 29, Branko Susic, 34, Miroslav Bogdanovic, 29, and Pero Pjevaljcic Crnogorac, who were tried in absentia, were found guilty for the murder of Ivan Kunc on September 10, 1991, in Lipovaca near Vukovar. As members of the reserve corps of the former Yugoslav People's Army, the seven took Croatian Ivan Kunc from the premises of the Local Community Centre in Lipovaca to a cemetery and then to the Bobota canal. Pjevaljcic, according to witnesses, was at the time commander of the reserve corps, and ordered Kunc to step forward. He then told the others to shoot Kunc, and they complied. Kunc then fell into the canal, and Pjevaljcic shot at him again. Vukelic told the court he did not shoot, which Pjevaljcic reprimanded him for when he realised Vukelic's gun barrel was cold. Vukelic, who was also convicted of illegal possession of firearms, received a 12 year and three months sentence in prison. Pjevaljcic was sentenced to 15 years in prison, and the others to 12 years in prison. All the convicts have the right to appeal the sentence. (hina) lml jn