Posted on 05/30/2007 6:35:21 AM PDT by Valin
Belgrade, 30 May (AKI) - Serbias special prosecutor for war crimes on Wednesday ordered the detention of twelve people on suspicion of having committed war crimes against Croatian civilians in October 1991, during the war following Croatia's secession from former Yugoslavia. The prosecution said in a statement that during two and a half years of investigations more than 50 people have been questioned "and extensive material evidence has been collected".
It said that four members of the former Yugoslav Army, civilians and members of a paramilitary group Dusan Silni were suspected of torturing, inhumane treatment and killing 70 civilians in the Croatian village of Lovas, near the eastern town of Vukovar. Serbian police earlier reported the arrest of eight people, but no names were revealed.
Vukovar was besieged for three months and completely devastated by the former Yugoslav Army in 1991, after Croatia declared independence. The Yugoslav Army and Serbian paramilitary volunteers reportedly rounded up a group of villagers on October 18, 1991 and forced them to a minefield where 22 people were killed. The prosecutor said others were killed by automatic weapons.
At the same time, the Croatian court in Vukovar is trying 18 individuals for the Lovas crime. Only one is sitting in the court however, while the others are still at large. The Serbian prosecutor said that the arrest of the twelve had been facilitated by regional cooperation and Croatian prosecutors.
Serbian courts have been busy over the past few years processing crimes committed by various paramilitary groups in Croatia, Bosnia and Serbias breakaway Kosovo province.
Up to 150 individuals, mostly Serbs, have been indicted for crimes committed in last decade Balkan wars by the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia, and more than thirty have been sentenced so far to close to 500 years jail.
This is impossible. Serbs never do anything wrong. They are all saints and heroes oppressed by the evil USA.
Serbs are perusing war criminals on their own soil as they should, if these individuals are indeed guilty of torturing civilians, then they should be prosecuted. So what is Croatia doing about Croatian war criminals?
Mirko Norac is in jail, isn’t he? Glavas is in jail, isn’t he? Over 4,000 cases were investigated and over 100 convicted. The Serbs have a lot of catching up to do.
Don't know, don't care. You're doing your part, we're doing ours.
"The Serbs have a lot of catching up to do."
Catching up to what? The Hague seems to be more interested in Serbs than anyone else whether legitimate or not, so we already have our foreign hunting party in place.
Wow. You may be the first non-Serb ever to admit guilt from any other side. Congrats.
you’re welcome.
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