On 25 February 2010, the War Crimes Council of the Gospić County Court found the defendant Goran Zjačić guilty of the commission of war crime against war prisoners under Article 122 of the OKZ RH and sentenced him to 7 years in prison.
The VSRH, at the session of its Council scheduled for 11 May 2011 quashed for procedural errors the first instance verdict rendered by the Gospić County Court.
After the repeated trial, on 8 September 2011 the War Crimes Council of the Karlovac County Court (Office in Gospić) found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to 7 years in prison.
INDICTMENT (SUMMARY)
The defendant is charged that, from the beginning of May 1994 until 5 August 1995, as a member of the Military Police company with the 15th Corps of the so-called RSK Army (the Republic of Srpska Krajina), in the prison designated for war prisoners which was located in the primary school building in Frkašić, where war prisoners, members of the HV, the HVO and the BiH Army were detained, on those days when he was on guard, violating the rules of the international law he tortured war prisoners and treated them inhumanely and caused them great suffering and injuries against their physical integrity and health,
whereby he committed a war crime against war prisoners referred to in Article 122 of the OKZ RH.
You can see the indictment issued by the Gospić County State's Attorney's Office No. K-DO-13/08 of 9 March 2009 here (PDF, 362 KB). (in Croatian)
GENERAL DATA
Gospić County Court
Case file number: K-11/09
War Crime Council: Judge Dušan Šporčić, Council President; Judge Dubravka Rudelić, Council member; Judge Matilda Rukavina, Council member
Indictment: issued by the Gospić County State's Attorney's Office No. K-DO-13/08 of 9 March 2009
Prosecution: Željko Brkljačić, Gospić County Deputy State's Attorney
Criminal act: war crime against prisoners of war - Article 122 of the OKZ RH
Defendant: Goran Zjačić, has been detained in the Gospić Prison since 28 September 2008
Defence counsel: Ljubiša Drageljević, a lawyer practising in Rijeka
Victims:
- physically abused: Johannes Tilder, Ivan Čaić, Ivan Dadić (members of the HV); Marko Tomić (member of the HVO); Kadir Bećirspahić (member of the BiH Army)
MONITORING REPORTS
The main hearing commenced on 3 June 2009.
We did not monitor the first two trial hearings. Reports from those hearings were written on the basis of the minutes from the trial.
Zjacic - monitoring reports (in Croatian)
VERDICT
His detention has been extended.
The VSRH, at the session of its Council scheduled for 11 May 2011 quashed for procedural errors the first instance verdict rendered by the Gospić County Court.
After the repeated trial, on 8 September 2011 the War Crimes Council of the Karlovac County Court (Office in Gospić) found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to 7 years in prison.
