Hague Tribunal acquits two Croat generals

THE HAGUE Croat Generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac have been acquitted on almost all counts of the indictment for crimes against Serbs by the Hague Tribunal. The court has proposed that the two generals be released immediately. Hague Tribunal acquits two Croat generals The Hague Tribunal delivered the final verdict at 9:00 on Friday. After having read the initial verdict, the defendants’ appeal and Appeals Chamber’s conclusions, presiding Judge Theodor Meron said that the defendants had been acquitted on almost all counts of the indictment. The Appeals Chamber found Gotovina and Markac not guilty of persecution, deportations, killings, crimes against humanity, pillage, violation of the laws and customs of war during and after the Croat military Operation Storm in August 1995. They were only found guilty on the third count of the indictment – that Gotovina was aware of the crimes and that he should have investigated the incidents, which he failed to do, according to the court. The Appeals Chamber upheld the court’s initial ruling that Markac had created an atmosphere of impunity by failing to investigate the crimes committed by the special police units and therefore incited them to commit crimes. This is the final verdict of the Hague Tribunal in the case against the two Croat generals. Gotovina and Markac were originally found guilty of expulsion, deportations, inhumane treatment, killings, pillage of public and private property and wanton destruction of Serb towns and villages during and after the Operation Storm in the summer of 1995. Gotovina was sentenced to 24 and Markac to 18 years in prison on April 15, 2011. General Ivan Cermak was acquitted and the prosecution did not file an appeal. Around 2,000 Serbs were killed or went missing and around 220,000 were expelled during the Operation Storm that was carried out by the Croatian armed forces in the territory of the former Republic of Serb Krajina. The Operation Storm represents one of the most severe cases of ethnic cleansing that was conducted in the wars in the territories of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Civilians accounted for 62 percent of the victims of the operation. According to the data of the Veritas Documentation and Information Centre, out of 1,922 victims in the area of Krajina, 546 or 28 percent were women, two-thirds of them aged over 60. Moreover, 19 people under 18 years of age were killed, nine of them under the age of 14, while 1,772 children were left parentless. Light is yet to be shed on the destiny of 975 people, 674 of them civilians, including 331 women, while Croatia still avoids exhumation of even known graves with at least 413 remains. The Operation Storm was the final operation in the 1991-95 war, during which nearly 7,000 Serbs went missing and 404,887 were expelled from Croatia, 141,887 of them from cities in which there were no armed conflicts. Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac (Beta/AP) Tanjug

Hague Tribunal acquits two Croat generals

The Hague Tribunal delivered the final verdict at 9:00 on Friday.

After having read the initial verdict, the defendants’ appeal and Appeals Chamber’s conclusions, presiding Judge Theodor Meron said that the defendants had been acquitted on almost all counts of the indictment.

The Appeals Chamber found Gotovina and Markač not guilty of persecution, deportations, killings, crimes against humanity, pillage, violation of the laws and customs of war during and after the Croat military Operation Storm in August 1995.

They were only found guilty on the third count of the indictment – that Gotovina was aware of the crimes and that he should have investigated the incidents, which he failed to do, according to the court.

The Appeals Chamber upheld the court’s initial ruling that Markač had created an atmosphere of impunity by failing to investigate the crimes committed by the special police units and therefore incited them to commit crimes.

This is the final verdict of the Hague Tribunal in the case against the two Croat generals.

Gotovina and Markač were originally found guilty of expulsion, deportations, inhumane treatment, killings, pillage of public and private property and wanton destruction of Serb towns and villages during and after the Operation Storm in the summer of 1995. Gotovina was sentenced to 24 and Markač to 18 years in prison on April 15, 2011.

General Ivan Čermak was acquitted and the prosecution did not file an appeal.

Around 2,000 Serbs were killed or went missing and around 220,000 were expelled during the Operation Storm that was carried out by the Croatian armed forces in the territory of the former Republic of Serb Krajina.

The Operation Storm represents one of the most severe cases of ethnic cleansing that was conducted in the wars in the territories of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Civilians accounted for 62 percent of the victims of the operation.

According to the data of the Veritas Documentation and Information Centre, out of 1,922 victims in the area of Krajina, 546 or 28 percent were women, two-thirds of them aged over 60.

Moreover, 19 people under 18 years of age were killed, nine of them under the age of 14, while 1,772 children were left parentless.

Light is yet to be shed on the destiny of 975 people, 674 of them civilians, including 331 women, while Croatia still avoids exhumation of even known graves with at least 413 remains.

The Operation Storm was the final operation in the 1991-95 war, during which nearly 7,000 Serbs went missing and 404,887 were expelled from Croatia, 141,887 of them from cities in which there were no armed conflicts.