"Officers legally stripped of ranks"

Croatian president says that his decision to strip Mirko Norac of his rank is legal and moral considering that he was convicted of serious war crimes. “I think that my decision to revoke the rank and medals is completely legal,” Croatian President Ivo Josipovic said. "Officers legally stripped of ranks" “I think that it is primarily moral because it is unthinkable for somebody who committed a crime like that to be an officer,” the Croatian president pointed out. He also added that “being an officer includes honor and that the one who committed a crime has lost that honor”. Norac filed charges against Josipovic last week, requesting that the decision to revoke his rank of major-general is quashed. He stated that the procedure had been done unprofessionally and unlawfully and that no law envisaged that civilians could be stripped of military ranks. Norac also points out that he was a retired major-general at the time and that the decision was never submitted to him and that it was only published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia. The Croatian president signed the decree on September 9, 2010 stripping Norac of his rank because of the ruling of the Municipal Court in Rijeka which sentenced him to 12 years in prison for war crimes against ethnic Serb civilians in Croatian town of Gospic. He was also sentenced to seven years in prison for killing Serb civilians in Medak Pocket in 1993 by the Municipal Court in Zagreb but the Supreme Court of Croatia has reduced his sentence to six years. Aside from Norac, the Croatian president and commander in chief also revoked the rank of lieutenant-general from Branimir Glavas and Vladimir Zagorac and the rank of colonel from Tihomir Oreskovic and Sinisa Rimac because of the war crimes they committed against Serbian civilians. Ivo Josipovic (FoNet, file)

"Officers legally stripped of ranks"

“I think that it is primarily moral because it is unthinkable for somebody who committed a crime like that to be an officer,” the Croatian president pointed out.

He also added that “being an officer includes honor and that the one who committed a crime has lost that honor”.

Norac filed charges against Josipović last week, requesting that the decision to revoke his rank of major-general is quashed.

He stated that the procedure had been done unprofessionally and unlawfully and that no law envisaged that civilians could be stripped of military ranks.

Norac also points out that he was a retired major-general at the time and that the decision was never submitted to him and that it was only published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia.

The Croatian president signed the decree on September 9, 2010 stripping Norac of his rank because of the ruling of the Municipal Court in Rijeka which sentenced him to 12 years in prison for war crimes against ethnic Serb civilians in Croatian town of Gospić.

He was also sentenced to seven years in prison for killing Serb civilians in Medak Pocket in 1993 by the Municipal Court in Zagreb but the Supreme Court of Croatia has reduced his sentence to six years.

Aside from Norac, the Croatian president and commander in chief also revoked the rank of lieutenant-general from Branimir Glavaš and Vladimir Zagorac and the rank of colonel from Tihomir Orešković and Siniša Rimac because of the war crimes they committed against Serbian civilians.