THE HAGUE, July 30 (Hina) - By the defence team's request on Friday for the acquittal of Tihomir Blaskic, a former commander of the HVO Central Bosnia Operative Zone, the trial of this Bosnian Croat General finished before the
International War Crimes Tribunal (ICTY), after it took over two years.
THE HAGUE, July 30 (Hina) - By the defence team's request on Friday
for the acquittal of Tihomir Blaskic, a former commander of the HVO
Central Bosnia Operative Zone, the trial of this Bosnian Croat
General finished before the International War Crimes Tribunal
(ICTY), after it took over two years. #L#
Don't try him as a symbol but as a man... the HVO (Bosnian Croat
Defence Council) is not a criminal organisation, crimes were
committed by people who have their names and family names," said
Defence Counsel Anto Nobilo on Friday afternoon in a courtroom of
the Hague-based Tribunal.
"Reach a just ruling, clear General Blaskic of charges," Nobilo
told the tree-man Trial Chamber.
Blaskic, as an honest man and honest general, appeared willingly in
court to answer for what he had done or failed to do, but not for what
others had done, the lawyer added.
The Trial Chamber's President, Claude Jorda, announced that after a
break of a few days, three judges will get down to their task and
make a ruling as soon as possible.
Blaskic was calm and writing notes at the end of his trial just as he
had done in the past 25 months. In the packed gallery from where the
public and reporters follow the process, Blaskic's wife was sitting
today and she had been also present at the trial before.
Blaskic is indicted of crimes he allegedly committed between May
1992 to January 1994 in the Lasva river valley, central Bosnia. He
is charged with crime against humanity, breaches of laws and
customs of war and violations of the Geneva conventions. In their
closing speech, prosecutors demanded life imprisonment for him.
This afternoon, the defence was concentrated on explaining the
character of the conflict in central Bosnia on which depends
whether judges will deliberate Blaskic's liability for the Geneva
Conventions' breaches.
Nobilo refused the prosecution's allegations that at a meeting
Tudjman and Milosevic had agreed on Bosnia's division. The reason
for that meeting was Croatian President's wish to prevent the war in
Croatia, Nobilo claimed adding that the subsequent destruction of
Croatia's towns of Vukovar or Dubrovnik showed that no agreement
had been concluded.
Defence lawyers did not deny that Tudjman had several times
advocated the division of Bosnia in public or in private
conversations. But personal stands, even of a President, are one
thing, whereas real policies of a small country are something
completely different, the defence added.
Croatia recognised Bosnia-Herzegovina and overall relations had
never been broken off, acts of the Croatian National Sabor
recognised the integrity of the neighbouring country, agreements
on friendship were signed, military supplies were provided (by
Croatia to Bosnia), Nobilo said.
The defence quoted a series of facts to prove that Croatia's Army
(HV) had not had general control over the HVO, and that's why in
Bosnia, or in central Bosnia, there was no international conflict.
Contrary to the case of the Bosnian Serb armed force (evolved from
the then Yugoslav Army or JNA), the HVO was not a transformed unit of
the HV, but a legitimate force in Bosnia, HVO troops were not on the
payroll in Croatia, there were no HV members in central Bosnia, a
role of HV officers was to give expert assistance, Nobilo said.
Bosnia and Croatia were allies, diplomatic ties have never been
spoilt, and that's why the category of protected persons cannot be
applied for Bosnian Moslems.
In addition, one cannot use the conflict between the Croatian Army
and JNA as an argument for trying to prove that other conflict, the
Croat-Moslem one, was of the international character, Nobilo
said.
(hina) ms