Glavaš retrial starts in Zagreb

A new trial against a Croatian lawmaker accused of 1991 war crimes against ethnic Serbs in the Slavonija region started in Zagreb on Tuesday. The retrial was ordered for procedural reasons – after a legal deadline was breached when more than three months passed since the last scheduled hearing in June, and the continuation of the trial. Glavas retrial starts in Zagreb However, the District Court in the Croatian capital heard an amended indictment against Branimir Glavas and six others indicted with the crimes as the new trial started today. All the accused once again pleaded not guilty to the prosecution charges against them. During the original trial, two separate court processes were led against Glavas, known as Garaza (Garage) and Selotejp (Duct Tape) cases. In the first case, Glavas was accused of ordering his inferiors to arrest and torture several Serb civilians in Osijek in 1991, after which two victims identified as Cedomir Vuckovic and Djordje Petkovic were brutally murdered. In the second case, the prosecution alleged that Glavas and his six co-defendants arrested, tortured and then executed ten Serb civilians, also in Osijek in 1991. The bodies of the victims, with their hands tied and duct tape across their mouths, were then thrown into the Drava River. The new trial will see both indictments consolidated into one, which left out a previous qualification that Glavas himself, today a member of the Croatian parliament, personally took place in the torture and abuse of the Serb civilians. At the same time, instead of a previous charge that Glavas had ordered the crimes, now the indictment says he was "a responsible person who did not prevent his inferiors who committed the crimes". The new indictment also leaves out the testimony from Politika's reporter Snezana Beric, who testified to accuse Glavas of torture and abuse. Allegations that he personally brought Vasic to the then Territorial Secretariat premises basement were also dropped from the new charges. However, the indictment against Glavas are still qualifies his actions as war crimes, while the defense believes the definition used should be, "punishable acts committed in wartime". The defendants and their counsels today brought forward new evidence proposals, among them those dismissed as irrelevant during the previous trial, and also suggested new witnesses. Beside Glavas himself, other accused men also said they would present their defense at the start of the new proceedings. They are Ivica Krnjak, Dino Kontic, Tihomir Valentic and Zdravko Dragic. Only the third accused Gordana Getos-Magdic waivered this right.

Glavaš retrial starts in Zagreb

However, the District Court in the Croatian capital heard an amended indictment against Branimir Glavaš and six others indicted with the crimes as the new trial started today.

All the accused once again pleaded not guilty to the prosecution charges against them.

During the original trial, two separate court processes were led against Glavaš, known as Garaža (Garage) and Selotejp (Duct Tape) cases.

In the first case, Glavaš was accused of ordering his inferiors to arrest and torture several Serb civilians in Osijek in 1991, after which two victims identified as Čedomir Vučković and Đorđe Petković were brutally murdered.

In the second case, the prosecution alleged that Glavaš and his six co-defendants arrested, tortured and then executed ten Serb civilians, also in Osijek in 1991.

The bodies of the victims, with their hands tied and duct tape across their mouths, were then thrown into the Drava River.

The new trial will see both indictments consolidated into one, which left out a previous qualification that Glavaš himself, today a member of the Croatian parliament, personally took place in the torture and abuse of the Serb civilians.

At the same time, instead of a previous charge that Glavaš had ordered the crimes, now the indictment says he was "a responsible person who did not prevent his inferiors who committed the crimes".

The new indictment also leaves out the testimony from Politika's reporter Snežana Berić, who testified to accuse Glavaš of torture and abuse.

Allegations that he personally brought Vasić to the then Territorial Secretariat premises basement were also dropped from the new charges.

However, the indictment against Glavaš are still qualifies his actions as war crimes, while the defense believes the definition used should be, "punishable acts committed in wartime".

The defendants and their counsels today brought forward new evidence proposals, among them those dismissed as irrelevant during the previous trial, and also suggested new witnesses.

Beside Glavaš himself, other accused men also said they would present their defense at the start of the new proceedings. They are Ivica Krnjak, Dino Kontić, Tihomir Valentić and Zdravko Dragić.

Only the third accused Gordana Getoš-Magdić waivered this right.