Third country indicts ex-general

The prosecution in Murska Sobota, Slovenia, has indicted former JNA officers Vlado Trifunovic and Berislav Popov for war crimes. The prosecution in this Slovenian town alleges that the general and the colonel committed war crimes against civilians there in 1991. Third country indicts ex-general The hearing in the case will be held on October 28-29. This makes Slovenia the third country to indict Trifunovic, after Serbia and Croatia. In Slovenia, he has been charged with ordering Popov to put a border crossing between Austria and Slovenia back under JNA control. Trifunovic was acting in his capacity as JNA's Varazdin, Croatia, Corps commander in the early days of the first in a series of wars that saw the breakup of the former Yugoslavia (SFRJ). In Serbia, the proceedings against Trifunovic were closed recently by the Supreme Court, which annulled a previous ruling when the former general was found guilty of treason for surrendering army barracks in a time of war. Both Trifunovic and Popov were convicted to 15 years in prison each in Croatia for war crimes against civilians in the town of Varazdin. Berislav Popov said that courts in Serbia have not been notified about the Slovenian indictment, and explained the context of the charges against him and Trifunovic: “The case is related to 1992 (sic) and the participation of our unit in the war in Slovenia. My direct commander was then General Trifunovic, while the commander of the 5th Military Region was the now late Konrad Kolsek, who proved his innocence before Slovenia's courts." He also noted that the unit acted in Slovenia according to its rules of engagement, and based on decisions made by the Federal government, and those coming from the military. “My unit did not do anything in sense of war crimes, because we did not execute anyone, hang anyone, we did not arrest anyone, we did not destroy anything for no reason, and we did not attack anyone first,” Popov was quoted as saying.. During the conflicts in Slovenia between the military and the Territorial Defense, five JNA soldiers were killed, and 17 were injured, while 30 were imprisoned. About two vehicles were destroyed, 12 of them military vehicles. Belgrade daily Danas writes today that the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights in Slovenia initiated the investigation in Slovenia, into the war crimes committed by Slovenian Territorial Defense members against JNA troops, but that it did not yield any results.

Third country indicts ex-general

The hearing in the case will be held on October 28-29.

This makes Slovenia the third country to indict Trifunović, after Serbia and Croatia.

In Slovenia, he has been charged with ordering Popov to put a border crossing between Austria and Slovenia back under JNA control. Trifunović was acting in his capacity as JNA's Varaždin, Croatia, Corps commander in the early days of the first in a series of wars that saw the breakup of the former Yugoslavia (SFRJ).

In Serbia, the proceedings against Trifunović were closed recently by the Supreme Court, which annulled a previous ruling when the former general was found guilty of treason for surrendering army barracks in a time of war.

Both Trifunović and Popov were convicted to 15 years in prison each in Croatia for war crimes against civilians in the town of Varaždin.

Berislav Popov said that courts in Serbia have not been notified about the Slovenian indictment, and explained the context of the charges against him and Trifunović:

“The case is related to 1992 (sic) and the participation of our unit in the war in Slovenia. My direct commander was then General Trifunović, while the commander of the 5th Military Region was the now late Konrad Kolšek, who proved his innocence before Slovenia's courts."

He also noted that the unit acted in Slovenia according to its rules of engagement, and based on decisions made by the Federal government, and those coming from the military.

“My unit did not do anything in sense of war crimes, because we did not execute anyone, hang anyone, we did not arrest anyone, we did not destroy anything for no reason, and we did not attack anyone first,” Popov was quoted as saying..

During the conflicts in Slovenia between the military and the Territorial Defense, five JNA soldiers were killed, and 17 were injured, while 30 were imprisoned. About two vehicles were destroyed, 12 of them military vehicles.

Belgrade daily Danas writes today that the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights in Slovenia initiated the investigation in Slovenia, into the war crimes committed by Slovenian Territorial Defense members against JNA troops, but that it did not yield any results.