Monitoring war crime trials
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Crime in Prokljan and Mandići Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal Trial against Božo Bačelić, Ante Mamić, Luka Vuko and Jurica Ravlić, charged with a war crime against civilians under Article 120, paragraph 1 of the OKZRH and a war crime against prisoners of war under Article 122 of the same Act.
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Crime near Mrkonjić Grad, BiH Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal Trial against Tihomir Šavorić, Ivica Krklec and Alen Toplek for the war crime against civilians under Article 120, paragraph 1 of the OKZRH.
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Crime in Slunjska Selnica (defendant Miroslav Bijelić et. al) Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal
The main hearing began on 29 April 2010 at the Karlovac County Court in the repeated trial against the defendants Miroslav Bijelić, Savo Padežanin, Đuro Tepšić and Rade Bjeloš, indicted for the commission of a war crime against civilians.
By the verdict issued by the War Crime Council of the Karlovac County Court on 29 June 2010, the defendants Bijelić, Padežanin and Tepšić were found guilty and sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment each. The defendant Bjeloš was acquitted of all charges. |
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Crime in Mlinište Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal Trial against Emil Črnčec, Tihomir Šavorić, Antun Novačić, Robert Precehtjel, Nenad Jurinec, Goran Gaća and Robert Berak, for a war crime against war prisoners, as described and punishable in accordance with Article 122 of the OKZRH.
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Destruction of the Catholic church in Glina Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal Trial against Ranko Birač for criminal offence of destruction of cultural and historic monuments stated in Article 130 of the OKZ RH.
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Crime in Slunj and surrounding villages Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal
On 1 December 2009 at the Karlovac County Court, the defendant Mićo Cekinović was found guilty of committing a war crime against civilians referred to in Article 120, paragraph 1 of the Basic Criminal Law of the RoC (hereinafter: the OKZ RH). He was sentenced to one year in prison.
The Supreme Court quashed the Karlovac County Court\\\'s Verdict. In the repeated trial, the Karlovac County Court\\\'s War Crimes Council found on 4 May 2010 the defendant Cekinović guilty and sentenced him to 4 years in prison. The session of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia was held on 27 October 2010. The Supreme Court quashed the first instance verdict. After the third (second repeated) hearing held on 23 December 2011, the Rijeka County Court\'s War Crimes Council found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to 4 years in prison. The VSRH Appeals Chamber held its session on 30 January 2013. It confirmed the first-instance verdict. |
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Crime in Nova Gradiška Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal Trial against Ivan Kumić, charged with a war crime against civilians referred to in Article 120, paragraph 1 of the OKZRH.
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Crime in Maja (defendant Milan Boroević) Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal Trial against Milana Boroević, charged with a war crime against civilians, under Article 120, paragraph 1 of the OKZRH. |
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Crime in the villages along the Una river near Hrvatska Kostajnica Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal On 23 April 2010, the first instance verdict was pronounced against the defendants finding them guilty and sentencing them to prison: Pero Đermanović (11 years), Ljuban Bradarić (1 year), Dubravko Čavić (9 years) and Ljubiša Čavić (2 years). The session of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia was held on 22 December 2010. Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia quashed the verdict of Sisak County Court. The VSRH quashed the first instance verdict in the case of defendants Đermanović and Dubravko and Ljubiša Čavić. As for defendant Bradarić, the first instance verdict was confirmed. After the repeated trial, the Zagreb County Court\\\'s War Crimes Council found the defendants guilty and sentenced them to the following prison sentences: Pero Đermanović (9 years), Dubravko Čavić (7 years) and Ljubiša Čavić (2 years).
The VSRH Appeal Chamber at its session held on 5 September 2012 quashed the verdict and remanded the case back to the first-instance court for a retrial.
On 26 March 2013, the Zagreb County Court\\\'s War Crimes Council pronounced the verdict in which defendants Đermanović, Dubravko Čavić and Ljubiša Čavić were found guilty and sentence to the following prison sentences: Đermanović (9 years), Dubravko Čavić (7 years) and Ljubiša Čavić (2 years).
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Crime in Maja and Svračica Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal On 13 November 2009, before the Sisak County Court, following the conducted re-opened procedure, the defendant Milan Španović was found guilty and sentenced to 3 years and 5 months in prison for a war crime against civilians. In 1993, he was sentenced in absentia to 20 years in prison. On 28 September 2010, the session of the Council of the Croatian Supreme Court was held. The 13 November 2009 verdict reached by the War Crimes Council of the Sisak County Court was quashed and the case was reversed for a retrial. After repeated proceedings at first instance, the Zagreb County Court\'s War Crimes Council pronounced the verdict on 14 March 2013. With this verdict, the court has abrogated the prior final verdict, rendered by the Sisak County Court on 17 November 1993 in which the defendant was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison, and rendered the acquittal. |
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Crime in Baćin Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal Trial against Branko Dmitrović, Slobodan Borojević, Milinko Janjetović, Momčilo Kovačević, Stevo Radunović, Veljko Radunović, Katica Pekić, Marin Krivošić and Stevan Dodoš for a war crime against civilians under Article 120, paragraph 1 of the OKZRH.
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Crime in Novska III Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal On 23 September 2010, a trial against the accused Željko Belina, Dejan Milić, Ivan Grgić and Zdravko Plesec, former members of the Croatian Army charged with war crime against civilians committed by killing Goranka Mileusnić, Vera Mileusnić and Blaženka Slabak and wounding of Petar Mileusnić in Novska in December 1991, commenced at the Sisak County Court.
On 19 November 2010, the Sisak County Court\\\\\\\' War Crimes Council rendered a judgement rejecting the charge pursuant to Article 353, item 5 of the Criminal Procedure Act because it held the view that this was a res iudicata case i.e. that the matter was already judged.
The VSRH quashed the first instance verdict rejecting the charge in respect of the 1st defendant Belina and the 2nd defendant Milić. The first instance verdict was confirmed in respect of defendants Ivan Grgić and Zdravko Plesec. The repeated first instance proceedings in respect of defendants Željko Belina and Dejan Milić will be conducted at the Zagreb County Court.
After the repeated trial, the Zagreb County Court\\\\\\\'s War Crimes Council found the defendants guilty on 8 March 2013. Belina was sentenced to 10 years, and Milić to 9 years in prison.
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Crime in Novska II Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal
On 8 March 2010, the main hearing began at the Sisak County Court in the trial against Vide Damir Raguž and Željko Škledar, indicted for committing a war crime against civilians in Novska on 21 November 1991.
On 16 April 2010, the defendant Vide Damir Raguž was found guilty by the first instance verdict and he was sentenced to 20 years in prison, whereas the defendant Željko Škledar was acquitted of charges. The session of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia was held on 10 July 2012. Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia quashed the verdict of Sisak County Court. On 7 February 2013, the Zagreb County Count rendered the first-instance verdict in which Damir Vid Raguž and Željko Škledar were acquitted of the charges. |
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Crime in Sunjska Greda Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal
On 8 November 2010 at the Sisak County Court began the main hearing in the case of Milenko Vidak, charged with commission of war crime against civilians by killing a civilian Stjepan Sučić.
On 20 December 2010, the War Crimes Council of the Sisak County Court found the defendant guilty. He was sentenced to 8 years. On 12 July 2011, the VSRH\\\\\\\'s Appeals Chamber quashed the Sisak County Court\\\\\\\'s first instance verdict due to major violations of the criminal procedure provisions and remanded the case for retrial. On 17 April 2012, after the repeated first-instance trial, the Zagreb County Court\\\'s War Crimes Council found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to 6 years in prison. |
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Crime in Berak (defendant Milorad Momić) Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal Trial against Milorad Momić for war crime against civilians stated in Article 120, paragraph 1 of the OKZRH.
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The crime on Pogledić hill near Glina Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal Trial against the defendant Rade Miljević for a war crime against civilians under Article 120, paragraph 1 of the OKZRH. |
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Crime in prisons in Gajeva street in Zagreb and in Kerestinec Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal Trial against Stjepan Klarić, Dražen Pavlović, Viktor Ivančin, Željko Živec and Goran Štrukelj for a war crime against prisoners of war referred to in Article 122 of the OKZRH and Article 122 in conjunction with Article 28, paragraph 2 of the same Act.
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Crime in Škabrnja (defendant Renato Petrov) Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal Repeated trial against defendant Renato Petrov for a war crime against civilians under Article 120, paragraph 1 of the Basic Criminal Law Act of the Republic of Croatia (OKZRH).
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Crime in Korenica Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal The criminal proceedings were held before the War Crime Council of the Rijeka County Court against the defendant Željko Šuput and the defendant Milan Panić who are charged with a war crime against prisoners of war referred to in Article 122 of the Basic Criminal Law of the Republic of Croatia (hereinafter: the OKZ RH). On 3 October 2008, a non-final verdict was published in which the defendants were found guilty and sentenced to prison terms (the defendant Šuput in the duration of 4 years, while the defendant Panić in the duration of 3 years and 6 months. At the session held on 8 June 2011, the VSRH accepted the defendants´ appeals, quashed the challenged verdict and remanded the case for retrial to the Rijeka County Court. Repeated trial began on 25 October 2011. On 26 April 2012, the prosecution amended the legal qualification of the criminal offence according to which the defendants are now charged with a war crime against civilians and not any more with a war crime against prisoners of war. On 12 June 2012, the Rijeka County Court\\\'s War Crimes Council pronounced the verdict in which the defendants were found guilty. Same as in the first-instance proceedings, they were sentenced to the following prison terms: Šuput (4 years) and Panić (3 years and 6 months). |
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Crime in Ilovčak near Glina Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal Trial against Vladimir Bekić for a war crime against civilians under Article 120, paragraph 1 of the OKZRH. |
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Crime near Mrkonjić Grad II, BiH Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal Trial against Ivica Pintarić for the war crime against civilians under Article 120, paragraph 1 of the OKZRH.
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Crime in Tovarnik Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal The main hearing began on 13 April 2010 at the Vukovar County Court in the trial against Miloš Stanimirović and another fourteen persons. The defendants were charged that following 20 September 1991 in Tovarnik they were displacing, killing, mentally torturing Croat and non-Serb civilian population and were seizing or destroying their property. Thus, they committed criminal offences against humanity and international law - a genocide as described and punishable according to Article 119 of the OKZRH and a war crime against civilians as described and punishable according to Article 120, paragraph 1 of the OKZRH by applying Article 43 of the OKZRH. The indictment was amended on 10 April 2012. According to the amended indictment, eleven defendants are charged with a war crime against civilians, and three defendants are charged with armed rebellion. Criminal proceedings were discontinued in respect of one female defendant who died. The first-instance judgement of the Vukovar County Court\'s War Crimes Council was pronounced on 23 April 2012.
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Crime in Borovo Selo (defendant Milan Marinković) Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal Trial against Milan Marinković for a war crime against wounded and sick under Article 121 and for a war crime against war prisoners under Article 122 of the OKZRH.
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Crime in Baranja Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal
A third trial (second repeated) against Petar Mamula accused for committing a war crime against civilians pursuant to Article 120, paragraph 1 of the OKZRH began on 18 March 2009 before the War Crimes Council of the Osijek County Court.
This Court announced the verdict on 7 April 2009 which found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to a prison term in duration of 4 years and 10 months. The public session of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia (VSRH) was held on 3 August 2010. Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia quashed the verdict of Osijek County Court and reversed the case for re-trial. The main hearing in the fourth (third repeated) trial began on 22 February 2011. On 23 March 2011, the War Crimes Council of the Osijek County Court found defendant Petar Mamula guilty and sentenced him to 3 years and 6 months in prison. The VSRH held its session on 12 October 2011. We are not yet familiar with its decision. After the fifth (fourth repeated) main hearing held on 10 February 2012, the defendant was found guilty and sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison. |
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Crime in Dalj Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal Trial against Željko Čizmić for war crime against civilians stated in Article 120, paragraph 1 of the OKZRH.
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Crime in Lovinac Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal In the case number K-49/06, the second repeated trial has begun against the defendants Radoslav Čubrilo, Milorad Čubrilo, Milorad Žegarac, Petar Ajduković and Gojko Mrkajlo before the Rijeka County Court. The defendants are prosecuted for a war crime against civilians pursuant to Article 120, Paragraph 1 of the Penal Law of the Republic of Croatia.
Following the recess exceeding three years and the prosecution\'s dropping the charges against all defendants except the 1st defendant Radoslav Čubrilo,the main hearing has had to start anew in 2011.
The Rijeka County Court rendered the first-instance verdict in the case of Radoslav Čubrilo and sentenced him to 15 years in prison for war crime against civilians committed in Lovinac in May 1991.
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Arson in Pušina and Slatinski Drenovac Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal On 22 March 2010 before the Bjelovar County Court\'s War Crimes Council, the main hearing began in the trial against Ivan Husnjak and Goran Sokol indicted for a war crime against civilians under Article 120, paragraph 1 of the OKZRH in conjunction with Article 28, paragraph 2 of the OKZRH. On 24 May 2011, the War Crimes Council of the Bjelovar County Court pronounced the first instance verdict acquitting the defendants of the charges.
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Crime in the military barracks in Slavonski Brod Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal Reopened trial against Janko Radmanović and Radisav Stojanović, previously tried in absentia and sentenced for the commission of a war crime against civilians.
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Crime in Bijela Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal On 11 October 2010, War Crimes Council of the Bjelovar County Court reached a verdict in the trial against Dragomir Ćasić: The Court acquitted the defendant of the charge because it was not proven in his case that he committed a war crime against civilians under Article 120, paragraph 1 of the OKZRH.
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Crime in Novska Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal
A trial was conducted before the War Crime Council of the Sisak County Court against Branislav Mišćević and Željko Vrljanović, charged with a war crime against civilians, described and punishable pursuant to Article 120, paragraph 1 of the Basic Criminal Law of the Republic of Croatia (hereinafter: the OKZ RH). The public session of the Supreme Court of the RoC was held on 13 October 2009. The Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia fully upheld the first instance verdict.
On 22 December 2010, the Appellate Panel of the Supreme Court held its session (in the third instance in respect of the defendant Mišćević). We are still not familiar with the decision. |
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Crime in the villages of Municipality Promina Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal The trial against Rajko Janković was repeated. Following to that, on 24 September 2010 the War Crimes Council of the Šibenik County Court found him guilty of a war crime against civilians during war conflicts in the Promina region. The defendant received a prison sentence in the duration of 3 years and 6 months.
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Crime at the vukovar hospital Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal
The main hearing of the trial against the accused Bogdan Kuzmić commenced before the War Crime Council of the Vukovar County Court on 07 April 2008. Bogdan Kuzmić was accused of criminal act of war crime against civilians, stated in Article 120, Paragraph 1 of the Basic Penal Law of the Republic of Croatia, which had been committed in the Vukovar Hospital on 19 November 1991.
On 15 July 2010, Bogdan Kuzmić was pronounced guilty. The verdict is not legally valid yet. Bogdan Kuzmić was sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment.
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Crime in Korlat Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal The second repeated trial against the defendants Stevo Macakanja et al. for a war crime against civilians was concluded before the changed composition of the War Crimes Council of the Zadar County Court. |
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Crime in the villages Selkovac and Šatornja Trials in Croatia :: Verdict before appeal On 14 November 2008, the War Crimes Council of the Sisak County Court reached and announced a verdict wherein the charges of committing a war crime against civilians under Article 120, paragraph 1 of the OKZ RH were dropped against the defendant Mile Letica.
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- Monitoring War Crimes Trials:
Report for the period January-May 2011
Report for the period January-May 2010
Report for the period January-May 2009
Report for the period January-June 2008
Quarterly Reports
Report for January - March 2013
Report for May - August 2012
Annex to the Report: Overview of the monitored war crime trials
Report for January - April 2012
Annex to the Report: Overview of the monitored war crime trials
Bi-monthly Reports
Monitoring team:
Veselinka Kastratović
Mladen Stojanović
Jelena Đokić Jović
Maja Kovačević Bošković
Marko Sjekavica
Milena Čalić Jelić
Miren Špek
Contact person:
Mladen Stojanović
In cooperation with:Documenta Zagreb
Citizens Committee for Human Rights Zagreb
Humanitarian Law Centre Belgrade
Research and Documentation Centre Sarajevo
This project is funded by the European Union. The contents of these documents are the sole responsibility of the Centre for Peace, Nonviolence and Human Rights and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.
This project is also funded by:
Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Zagreb
Embassy of the Republic of Finland in Zagreb
OSCE Office in Zagreb
Embassy of Australia in Zagreb
