ATTORNEY KRSNIK SEEKS POSTPONEMENT OF NALETILIC'S EXTRADITION

ZAGREB, Oct 20 (Hina) - Kresimir Krsnik, attorney for Mladen Naletilic Tuta, on Wednesday requested that Justice Minister Zvonimir Separovic postpone Naletilic's extradition to the Hague war crimes tribunal until the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg has ruled on a complaint against Croatia which Krsnik announced at a press conference in Zagreb on Tuesday. Krsnik said Naletilic was being denied a fair trial, and asked that Croatia be prohibited to extradite Naletilic before the completion of a hearing on the violation of Naletilic's rights, which are guaranteed by the European Convention. If the European Court for Human Rights rules in Naletilic's favour, Croatia could face consequences due to the violation of human rights, Krsnik said, asking Separovic not to allow his client's extradition until the Strasbourg process is completed. According to Krsnik, Naletilic has the right to the completion of proceedings before the Zagreb County Court before he is extradited. Extraditing Naletilic to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) would violate the principle "nullum crimen sine lege", because the ICTY could sentence him for life, whereas a trial in Croatia for an act within ICTY jurisdiction could result in a maximum 20-year prison sentence, he added. Krsnik then spoke about the example of Rwanda's Elizaphan Ntakiratiman, who was accused of genocide by the international criminal tribunal for Rwanda in 1994. In Ntakiratiman's case, the US government, on the territory of which he was residing, unambiguously stated that it would not extradite him until all possible legal means in the United States had been used up. The US government did not want to face a situation where it would grant the extradition request and see the extradition ruling later annulled by the US Supreme Court, said Krsnik, asking that the same standards be applied in Naletilic's case. (hina) mm rml