WINTER AND TOMASEK EXAMINED IN SAKIC CASE

( Editorial: --> 9239 ) ZAGREB, Sept 9 (Hina) - The investigating judge of the Zagreb County Court examined Gabriel Winter and Andrija Tomasek on Wednesday. The two men are witnesses in pre-trial proceedings against the former commander of the Jasenovac concentration camp, Dinko Sakic. Winter is the second witness to be examined from a list of 16 named in a document compiled by the Simon Wiesenthal Centre in Jerusalem and forwarded to the Croatian Justice Ministry by the centre's director. The investigating judge has already examined Jakob Finci, who was submitted as a witness by the state prosecutor. Winter (born 1917), a Jew who spent two terms in the Jasenovac camp, said he did not come across Sakic nor had he heard of him. As Winter said, on the first occasion in August 1941, he was confined to the camp without being questioned and that he had not been abused. He worked mostly on the river embankment and remained in the camp until December 2, 1941 when he was released pursuant to a request submitted by his wife. His second confinement was in May 1942 after being arrested and he remained in the camp until October 1942 when due to the carelessness of a guard, Winter saw an opportunity to escape. He then joined the Partisans. Speaking about the conditions in the camp, he made special mention of the so-called appearances. Apparently every 10 days or so, he said, an "appearance" would be held meaning that a group of people "was randomly" selected, sometimes involving up to one hundred, who would be taken away from the camp never to return again. The witness presumed these people were killed, because he would be responsible to drive a wagon and pick up the camp uniforms and bring them back to the camp. Tomasek (born 1919) was confined in Stara Gradiska from June 1943 to May 1944 when a group of prisoners were pardoned. Tomasek said that he did not see nor had he heard of Sakic. Nevertheless, he relayed several details about the conditions within the camp including torturing which he was exposed to in Varazdin for five months, because he was arrested under suspicion that he belonged to the Communist movement. Seven of the witnesses recommended by Simon Wiesenthal Centre's Jerusalem director Efraim Zuroff currently reside in Croatia, six in Yugoslavia, two in the United States and one in England. Two witnesses noted in Zuroff's list residing in Croatia have already died, two others had not even been confined in Jasenovac and another will be examined by the Court on Thursday. The investigating judge has not passed a decision regarding the procedure to be implemented regarding witnesses residing abroad. They can be subpoenaed via diplomatic channels, they can be examined by a court in their country of residence or even be subpoenaed to attend the main hearing. (Hina) sp jn /mbr 091736 MET sep 98