ZAGREB, Nov 22 (Hina) - The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) suspects Josip Krmpotic, a former commander of the 9th Guard Brigade's reconnaissance platoon, of alleged crimes committed during the
operation in Medak Pocket, Krmpotic's attorney Velimir Dosen told Hina on Friday.
ZAGREB, Nov 22 (Hina) - The International Criminal Tribunal for the
former Yugoslavia (ICTY) suspects Josip Krmpotic, a former
commander of the 9th Guard Brigade's reconnaissance platoon, of
alleged crimes committed during the operation in Medak Pocket,
Krmpotic's attorney Velimir Dosen told Hina on Friday. #L#
Speaking at the end of the first day of his client's interview with
the tribunal's investigators at the ICTY office in Zagreb, Dosen
said over the telephone that the ICTY investigators told his client
after lunch break today what he was charged with, one reason
probably being yesterday's situation with Admiral Davor Domazet.
"Krmpotic is charged by the ICTY with activities during the
operation in Medak Pocket, based on a statement by a deputy
commander of the 9th Guard Brigade's reconnaissance platoon, Dutch
Johann Tilder. The investigators asked him concrete questions
about those events and he denied everything," Dosen said.
The attorney said that Tilder had been taken prisoner and tortured
by the Serb forces after the operation in Medak Pocket, and claimed
that Tilder had made his statement under pressure.
The ICTY investigators have Tilder's written statement and a video
cassette from the time of his imprisonment. In his statement Tilder
directly charges Krmpotic with having ordered the killing of people
and the burning of villages, which Krmpotic denied, Dosen said.
The investigators have presented the evidence to Krmpotic, but he
dismissed it as false, stating that he and Tilder, whom the Serbs
eventually killed, had had very good relations. The Dutch, who was
his right hand and commanded all reconnaissance operations because
he was trained for them, would have never said such untruths had he
not feared for his life, Krmpotic told the investigators.
"Krmpotic stressed that he was the head of a reconnaissance platoon
which was not engaged in any combat activities, but went on a five-
day reconnaissance mission after which it returned to Gospic
without having seen any act of crime. It not only did not commit any
crimes, but had never received or been given such orders," Dosen
said.
The interview continues tomorrow.
(hina) rml