Trial against Dragiša Čančarević, charged with a war crime against civilians referred to in Article 120, paragraph 1 of the OKZRH and a war crime against prisoners of war referred to in Article 122 of the OKZRH.
INDICTMENT
The Indictment no. DO-K-20/99 of 12 October 1999 issued by the Vukovar County State Attorney's Office is available in Croatian here.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Vukovar County Court
Case file no.: K-40/99
Judges' panel: judge Ante Zeljko, presiding; judge Stjepan Margić, member; lay judges Marin Živković, Zoran Bračić and Martin Jurić, members
Indictment: no. DO-K-20/99 of 12 October 1999 issued by the Vukovar County State Attorney's Office.
Criminal offence: a war crime against civilians referred to in Article 21, paragraph 1 of the OKZRH and a war crime against prisoners of war referred to in Article 122 of the OKZRH
Defendant: Dragiša Čančarević, available
Defence counsel: Radojica Vučković, lawyer practicing in Osijek
Victims – maltreated civilians and war prisoners: Mato Dujić, Josip Salaj, Ištvan Bačko, Renato Jelošek, Tihomir Filipović, Zdravko Meter, Nedeljko Putnik, Tomislav Hajduković, Tomislav Kilić, Vlatko Nikolić, Damir Huber, Krešimir Strganac, Nikola Kelava, Predrag Akerman, Marko Andabak, Marinko Bertić
VERDICT (SUMMARY)
On 13 April 2001, the Vukovar County Court pronounced the first-instance verdict in which defendant Čančarević was found guilty that by being one of the most influential Militia member from 5 July to 1 September 1991, after occupation of Borovo and forming of the prison centre in the Local Community Office where civilians and war prisoners were brought in, during interrogation of civilians Mato Dujić, Josip Salaj, Ištvan Bačko, Renato Jelošek, Tihomir Filipović and Zdravko Meter, detained ZNG and MUP RH members Nedeljko Putnik, Tomislav Hajduković, Tomislav Kilić, Vlatko Nikolić, Damir Huber and Krešimir Strganac, in his capacity as interrogator he issued orders and permitted unidentified persons to batter the mentioned civilians, and he was personally battering Nikola Kelava and MUP RH members Predrag Akerman and Marko Andabak including also Marinko Bertić who whom he was battering in the economy premises. Majority of battered victims sustained bodily injuries caused by physical maltreatment.
For committing a war crime against civilians the defendant was sentenced to 9 years in prison. Also, he received the same prison sentence for committing a war crime against prisoners of war. Therefore he received an aggregate prison sentence in the duration of 13 years.
The Vukovar County Court's verdict of 13 April 2001 is available in Croatian here.
On 4 October 2001, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia partially accepted Čančarević's appeal and modified the first-instance verdict in the section determining the sentence, hence it sentenced the defendant to 6 years in prison for war crime against civilians and also 6 years for war crime against prisoners of war. Therefore the defendant received an aggregate prison sentence in the duration of 10 years.
The VSRH Verdict no. I Kž-562/01-6 of 4 October 2001 is available in Croatian here.
