ZAGREB, Feb 9 (Hina) - Justice Minister Stjepan Ivanisevic said on Friday the executive authority did not and would not get involved in the launching, course and outcome of court proceedings. He was addressing parliament's House of
Representatives on the reasons for an extended investigation into war crimes committed against Serb civilians in the central town of Gospic in 1991 and the issuing of an arrest warrant for retired general Mirko Norac. A briefing on the matter had been requested by the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), the strongest opposition party. Ivanisevic said he received on Feb. 7 a report on a meeting between representatives of the State Prosecutor's Office and its Rijeka County branch, which considered extending the investigation into the Gospic case to Norac and another new suspect, Milan Canic. A decision to that effect was made after testimonies of some witnesses and suspects, exhume
ZAGREB, Feb 9 (Hina) - Justice Minister Stjepan Ivanisevic said on
Friday the executive authority did not and would not get involved in
the launching, course and outcome of court proceedings.
He was addressing parliament's House of Representatives on the
reasons for an extended investigation into war crimes committed
against Serb civilians in the central town of Gospic in 1991 and the
issuing of an arrest warrant for retired general Mirko Norac.
A briefing on the matter had been requested by the Croatian
Democratic Union (HDZ), the strongest opposition party.
Ivanisevic said he received on Feb. 7 a report on a meeting between
representatives of the State Prosecutor's Office and its Rijeka
County branch, which considered extending the investigation into
the Gospic case to Norac and another new suspect, Milan Canic.
A decision to that effect was made after testimonies of some
witnesses and suspects, exhumed bodies and other evidence yielded
grounds to suspect that Norac and Canic had committed war crimes
against civilians, said the minister.
Norac and Canic are charged with ordering and executing between
Oct. 14-18, 1991 the arrest and execution of three groups of
civilians from Gospic, he said.
Based on said results from the investigation, the Rijeka County
State Prosecutor's Office on Feb. 4 requested extending the
investigation to include Norac and Canic and bring them under
arrest. Rijeka County Court investigating judge Sajonara Culina
consented to the request and on Feb 5. ordered the arrests. Canic
was brought into custody the same day, while police were unable to
find Norac at his Zagreb address.
The justice minister also said that judge Culina was notified on
Monday by one of the Gospic suspects' defence counsels that Norac
would turn himself in to the Rijeka court and that there was no need
for the arrest. Norac failed to do so by 15.300 hours on Thursday,
prompting Culina to issue an arrest warrant. Until his arrest,
Norac is under police competence, the minister said.
(hina) ha sb