ZAGREB/THE HAGUE, Dec 8 (Hina) - The International Criminal +Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia's (ICTY) Prosecutor has requested +the deferral to the ICTY of investigations and court proceedings +instituted in the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia against three +former Yugoslav Army officers, indicted for war crimes in Vukovar, +eastern Croatia.+ The Prosecutor has recently found out that the Belgrade Military +Court is conducting investigations and procedures against Veselin +Sljivancanin, Mile Mrksic and Miroslav Radic, indicted by the ICTY +for their involvement in the mass killing of about 260 patients +(civilians and soldiers) from the Vukovar hospital in November +1991.+ ICTY Prosecutor Louise Arbour however, doubts the objectivity of +the Belgrade court proceedings because Yugoslavia persistently +refuses to hand over the three indictees.+ The ICTY Trial Chamber will on Wednesday hear the Prosecutor's
ZAGREB/THE HAGUE, Dec 8 (Hina) - The International Criminal
Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia's (ICTY) Prosecutor has requested
the deferral to the ICTY of investigations and court proceedings
instituted in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia against three
former Yugoslav Army officers, indicted for war crimes in Vukovar,
eastern Croatia.
The Prosecutor has recently found out that the Belgrade Military
Court is conducting investigations and procedures against Veselin
Sljivancanin, Mile Mrksic and Miroslav Radic, indicted by the ICTY
for their involvement in the mass killing of about 260 patients
(civilians and soldiers) from the Vukovar hospital in November
1991.
ICTY Prosecutor Louise Arbour however, doubts the objectivity of
the Belgrade court proceedings because Yugoslavia persistently
refuses to hand over the three indictees.
The ICTY Trial Chamber will on Wednesday hear the Prosecutor's
deferral request and decide whether to send it to Belgrade. In case
Yugoslavia refuses the request, the ICTY will notify the U.N.
Security Council. In response to ICTY's repeated objections
regarding Belgrade's refusal to hand over war crimes indictees, the
Security Council issued a resolution requesting Yugoslavia to
respect its obligations, failing however, to secure more concrete
measures of pressure.
The Prosecutor said she was ready to start the proceedings as soon
as the three indictees were in ICTY's custody.
Deferral of trials from national courts to the ICTY have so far been
successfully carried out in four cases - the Tadic case (deferral
from a German court), the Lasva Valley and Bosnian Serb leadership
cases (from Bosnian courts) and the Erdemovic case (from a Yugoslav
court).
The Hague Tribunal, which has been repeatedly calling on Yugoslavia
to hand over the three JNA officers, this year held a trial on crimes
committed in Vukovar. The indictment included the three officers
and a former Vukovar mayor Slavko Dokmanovic.
Dokmanovic was the only person from the indictment to have been
detained by the ICTY. He committed suicide before the verdict was
announced.
Before the beginning of the Dokmanovic trial, the Prosecutor said
the evidence presented at his trial would be used at the trial of the
three JNA officers.
(hina) rml