Murder trial of Croatian Serb continues

The trial of a man accused of killing a doctor in Slunj, Croatia in 1991 continued, with testimony from a second individual already convicted of the same crime. Milan Grubjesic, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison in Croatia for the murder in question, was testifying in Belgrade at the trial of Zdravko Pasic. Murder trial of Croatian Serb continues Grubjesic told the court that he had received an order from secret services in Slunj to kill Doctor Dragutin Krusic, but denied that Pasic had participated in the murder. According to the indictment, on the night of December 22, 1991, Pasic and Grubjesic came to fetch Krusic from the local health Center on the pretext that he needed to help the wounded, and then proceeded to shoot him at the entrance of a restaurant on the way to Cetingrad. "I was told that the doctor should be executed because of betrayal. I told Pasic, who was there by chance, that we had military orders to carry out, to go and get the doctor, because there were injured to be treated in Cetingrad,” Grubjesic recalled. He added that Pasic did not know the “details of the orders” and that he had needed him as a “cover.” "I used an automatic rifle. I fired off quite a few rounds. Pasic had nothing to do with it. As far as I know, he didn’t shoot. I just needed him as cover,” the witness claimed, who was working at the time as a driver for State Security and was also the director of a communal company in Slunj. When Judge Snezana Gaortic Nikolic (presiding) asked the witness whether he had earlier accused Pasic of Krusic's murder, he replied that he had “had to defend himself”. Pasic has pleaded not guilty to the charges, stating that he was present at the scene by chance, and that Grubjesic shot the doctor.

Murder trial of Croatian Serb continues

Grubješić told the court that he had received an order from secret services in Slunj to kill Doctor Dragutin Krušić, but denied that Pašić had participated in the murder.

According to the indictment, on the night of December 22, 1991, Pašić and Grubješić came to fetch Krušić from the local health Center on the pretext that he needed to help the wounded, and then proceeded to shoot him at the entrance of a restaurant on the way to Cetingrad.

"I was told that the doctor should be executed because of betrayal. I told Pašić, who was there by chance, that we had military orders to carry out, to go and get the doctor, because there were injured to be treated in Cetingrad,” Grubješić recalled.

He added that Pašić did not know the “details of the orders” and that he had needed him as a “cover.”

"I used an automatic rifle. I fired off quite a few rounds. Pašić had nothing to do with it. As far as I know, he didn’t shoot. I just needed him as cover,” the witness claimed, who was working at the time as a driver for State Security and was also the director of a communal company in Slunj.

When Judge Snežana Gaortić Nikolić (presiding) asked the witness whether he had earlier accused Pašić of Krušić's murder, he replied that he had “had to defend himself”.

Pašić has pleaded not guilty to the charges, stating that he was present at the scene by chance, and that Grubješić shot the doctor.