ZAGREB, June 30 (Hina) - War crimes suspect and former commander of a Croatian World War Two concentration camp, Dinko Sakic, on Wednesday voiced his disappointment following the refusal of the Zagreb County Court panel of judges to
accept the majority of the defence's proposals for evidence. "I believe that my defence attorneys and myself are superfluous in this trial," Sakic told the court, stressing he was being tried and accused as Jakov Blazevic had sentenced Alojzije Stepinac, the head of the Catholic Church in the Independent State of Croatia (NDH, 1941-1945), and as Anto Nobilo had sentenced in the mid-1980s Andrija Artukovic, NDH's interior minister. "If I don't have the right to defend myself, you could have spared the Croatian people and state a lot of money, and immediately sealed and confirmed what has been ordered from Belgrade," the defendant said. The Zagreb County Court panel
ZAGREB, June 30 (Hina) - War crimes suspect and former commander of
a Croatian World War Two concentration camp, Dinko Sakic, on
Wednesday voiced his disappointment following the refusal of the
Zagreb County Court panel of judges to accept the majority of the
defence's proposals for evidence.
"I believe that my defence attorneys and myself are superfluous in
this trial," Sakic told the court, stressing he was being tried and
accused as Jakov Blazevic had sentenced Alojzije Stepinac, the head
of the Catholic Church in the Independent State of Croatia (NDH,
1941-1945), and as Anto Nobilo had sentenced in the mid-1980s
Andrija Artukovic, NDH's interior minister.
"If I don't have the right to defend myself, you could have spared
the Croatian people and state a lot of money, and immediately sealed
and confirmed what has been ordered from Belgrade," the defendant
said.
The Zagreb County Court panel of judges rejected as inappropriate
the defence suggestion to confront several witnesses, surviving
camp inmates who gave contradictory statements in their
testimonies.
The panel assessed the confrontation would not contribute to a
better establishment of the facts, on which the witnesses had
already been interrogated in detail, or clear the contradictions.
Also rejected was the suggestion to summon a nutritionist, whom the
defence wanted to determine whether inmates could have survived the
Jasenovac concentration camp on the scarce and uniform food of
which the surviving witnesses spoke.
The panel believes the nutritionist is an "unimportant suggestion
given the common knowledge of the consequences of that type of
nutrition."
The panel also rejected the suggestion to "visit the spot", namely
the area on which the camp was active between 1941 and 1945, with the
explanation that the visit would fail to give the real picture of
what the camp actually looked like.
Accepted in part was the suggestion to hear Josip Jurcevic, a
historian who should testify on the origin or labour and reception
camps in the NDH, how they functioned, and on their commanding
structure. The defence suggested that he testify as expert, but the
panel of judges will summon him as witness.
Witness Tibor Lovrencic will be summoned again to speak about a
sketch of the camp, which Sakic presented on Tuesday. Sakic said he
had made it two decades ago, using his memory and several
photographs he had kept. Lovrencic participated in the
construction of the camp, as an inmate, and should, according to the
panel of judges, as an architect, be able to evaluate the accuracy
of the sketch.
After Lovrencic's testimony, the panel of judges will decide
whether to question witness Dervis Sarac one more time.
The trial will resume on July 5.
(hina) ha