RIJEKA WAR CRIMES TRIAL RIJEKA, Aug 22 (Hina) - In continuation of the so-called Gospic group war crimes trial being held at the Rijeka County Court and presided by Judge Ika Saric, video recordings related to the case were shown on
Thursday.
RIJEKA, Aug 22 (Hina) - In continuation of the so-called Gospic
group war crimes trial being held at the Rijeka County Court and
presided by Judge Ika Saric, video recordings related to the case
were shown on Thursday. #L#
Amongst the recordings shown, there was early 1992 footage taken by
the then Television Belgrade of the discovery of 24 bodies at a site
where civilians were killed on Lipova glavica. The film also showed
the process of identification at the Military-Medical Academy in
Belgrade headed by pathologist Dr Zoran Stankovic.
The bodies were found by Serb paramilitary units in December 1991 as
the area of the site was under their control at the time. The
broadcast noted that some of those killed had slit throats or had
been hit with blunt instruments to the head, while the majority had
bullet wounds to the back of their heads.
The documentary also shows a woman speaking about how she was in the
basement from where the civilians were taken away from and later
killed. One of those taken away was her husband. Milica Smiljanic
said that armed, masked persons amongst whom she recognised Martin
Markovic, known as Ifan, entered the basement. She said the
civilians were tied with rope and taken away.
Video recordings were also shown of a site where civilians were
killed in Pazariste and the locality of Ravni dabar on Mt Velebit,
as well as the exhumation of bodies from the Debelo Brdo cemetery
and their autopsies. The films were shot during the investigation
into that case.
Another witness also testified on Thursday. Stjepan Got, according
to some sources, was an intelligence agent and saboteur in Gospic in
1991. He said that he found out about abductions of civilians in the
press. Got was arrested in December 1991 in Zagreb, as part of
arrest proceedings against Tihomir Oreskovic and the group that he
arrived with from Gospic. They were released after a few days.
Judge Saric and deputy county state prosecutor Doris Hrast pointed
out to Got that many details in his testimony did not match his
statements made during investigation.
The trial will continue on Friday.
(hina) sp/ha sb