$ EA ZAGREB, 17 June (Hina) - At a regular weekly meeting with the press, Croatian Vice Premier Ivica Kostovic and Justice Minister Miroslav Separovic spoke about implementation of the Amnesty Law which refers to the perpetrators of
criminal acts from the temporary occupied area of Vukovar and Osijek Counties. The law took effect on 31 May this year. It was necessary to clarify provisions of the law for the sake of those it related to, as well as because of some contradictory articles about the law, published in foreign press, the two officials said.
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$ EA
ZAGREB, 17 June (Hina) - At a regular weekly meeting with the
press, Croatian Vice Premier Ivica Kostovic and Justice Minister
Miroslav Separovic spoke about implementation of the Amnesty Law
which refers to the perpetrators of criminal acts from the
temporary occupied area of Vukovar and Osijek Counties. The law
took effect on 31 May this year.
It was necessary to clarify provisions of the law for the sake
of those it related to, as well as because of some contradictory
articles about the law, published in foreign press, the two
officials said. #L#
Amnesty referred to all criminal acts committed in the
aggression or rebellion against the Republic of Croatia in the
period between 17 August 1990 and 1 June 1996. War crimes were
excluded from amnesty. Amnesty would be granted to Croatian
citizens who had permanent or temporary abode in Vukovar and Osijek
Counties (temporary occupied area), the two officials said.
Along with the 1996 Amnesty Law, a law on amnesty adopted in
1992 and amended in 1995, was also in effect, Justice Minister
Separovic said.
The persons the Amnesty Law applied to would not be
prosecuted, and in case legal proceedings were already under way,
they would be immediately terminated.
On the basis of the law, the persons who had been tried and
sentenced in absentia had the right to demand a new trial before
the Croatian courts and prove their innocence, within a period of
one year.
If the persons, who had the right to amnesty, should commit
criminal acts after 1 June, they would lose the right to amnesty
for criminal acts they had committed before 1 June as well.
Fifty persons had been sentenced for war crimes, Vice Premier
Kostovic said. The Amnesty Law referred to 4774 persons charged
with less serious cases of the criminal act of armed mutiny.
After the military actions 'Flash' and 'Storm', Croatian
President Franjo Tudjman had granted pardon in line with the
Amnesty Law to a certain number of persons, Justice Minister
Separovic said.
Asked whether Croatia was being pressured into changing or
amending the Amnesty Law, both Kostovic and Separovic stressed that
they were not familiar with such reports and stated that 'the
Amnesty Law is a maximum Croatia can offer at the moment'.
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