Judge Alan Moore of Sydney's Central Local Court, who on January 27 ruled that Dragan Vasiljkovic aka Captain Dragan would remain in custody until a decision on his extradition to Croatia was made, today postponed a hearing in the case until the Australian High Court decides on Vasiljkovic's appeal against the detention ruling.
According to agency reports, a new hearing will be held in March.
Croatia on Thursday sent to Australian authorities an official request for Vasiljkovic's extradition.
The warrant for Vasiljkovic's arrest was issued in early January by the Croatian Ministry of the Interior at the request of the Sibenik County Prosecutor's Office.
The 51-year-old Vasiljkovic is charged, in his capacity as commander of a special Serb paramilitary unit, with torturing and killing captive Croatian soldiers and police in a prison in Knin in June and July 1991 as well as in Bruska near Benkovac in February 1993.
He is also charged with devising, in agreement with a commander of the former Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), a plan of attacks in the Glina area resulting in the destruction of civilian facilities, the expulsion of the local population, the plundering of their property, and the killing and wounding of civilians, including a foreign journalist.