War crimes trial of Croatian generals resumes

The trial of Rahim Ademi and Mirko Norac, accused of crimes against Serbs in the Medak Pocket, continues in Zagreb. At the trial of the two generals today, the prosecution submitted documentation and excerpts from a book by former Croatian Army commander-in-chief, Janko Bobetko. War crimes trial of Croatian generals resumes Bobetko’s book, “All My Battles”, describes the Medak Pocket Operation in detail, of which the author writes was “outstandingly conducted and necessary for the defense of Lika, and the whole of Croatia.” Norac’s lawyers objected to the passage being read out, stressing that the quotes were not relevant to the case as they were only memoirs, not scientific records. A number of witness questioned so far, including several former high-ranking Croatian Army officers, told the court that Bobetko himself had led the operation or had been a link in a parallel chain of command. That chain, they claimed, bypassed officials who had previously belonged to the JNA, including Rahim Ademi. Bobetko’s book was published in 1996, and rumor has it that the book was the very reason the Hague Tribunal launched legal proceedings against a 83-year old retired general who died before being brought before the Hague. In his memoirs concerning events in the Medak Pocket, Bobetko also published copies of many secret documents and war maps.

War crimes trial of Croatian generals resumes

Bobetko’s book, “All My Battles”, describes the Medak Pocket Operation in detail, of which the author writes was “outstandingly conducted and necessary for the defense of Lika, and the whole of Croatia.”

Norac’s lawyers objected to the passage being read out, stressing that the quotes were not relevant to the case as they were only memoirs, not scientific records.

A number of witness questioned so far, including several former high-ranking Croatian Army officers, told the court that Bobetko himself had led the operation or had been a link in a parallel chain of command.

That chain, they claimed, bypassed officials who had previously belonged to the JNA, including Rahim Ademi.

Bobetko’s book was published in 1996, and rumor has it that the book was the very reason the Hague Tribunal launched legal proceedings against a 83-year old retired general who died before being brought before the Hague.

In his memoirs concerning events in the Medak Pocket, Bobetko also published copies of many secret documents and war maps.