VICTIMOLOGISTS PROTEST AGAINST TIME CROATS SPENDING AT ICTY

ZAGREB, Dec 7 (Hina) - The Croatian Association of Victimologists (HZD) on Monday recommended that Croat detainees being held at the International Crimes Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), who, have "been in jail for longer than reasonable", to be released on bail. Not one of the detained Croats has been charged yet, although they have been in jail for quite some time. An international pact on citizens' and political rights states that persons detained must be quickly brought before a judge or within a reasonable trial period or to be released, said the Association's president, Zvonimir Separovic at a press conference in Zagreb on Monday. The Association holds that the detainees' fundamental human rights are being violated. Separovic visited The Hague on Friday where he inspected the ICTY prison. Prison conditions have "improved somewhat", he said compared to his last visit. However, full medical attention is still not ensured and time spent in the open is far too brief and prisoners are only allowed to see a priest once a month. These conditions must be improved if the ICTY does not agree to our recommendation of bail, Separovic said. He called on the ICTY to initiate procedures against Serb and Bosnian accused of war crimes against Croat nationals and called on the Croatian government to put pressure on the ICTY in this regard. (hina) sp jn