Former commander of Serb forces in Croatia dies in prison

Former commander of Serb forces in Croatia dies in prison

The state will organize the transport of his remains and pay the expenses of the funeral, B92 has learned.

Miile Mrksic's daughter Marija said in a letter to the media said earlier that her father was in transferred to the prison on July 22 for asthma and physical exhaustion, but that once hospitalized, it was discovered he was ill with lung cancer, Serbia's state broadcaster RTS reported .

She claimed her father's medical condition was in a state of obvious neglect and that the doctors confirmed the situation was critical, and that Mile Mrksic could die at any moment.

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Rasim Ljajic said on Saturday he would on Monday request that Mrksic is immediately released for medical treatment in Serbia.

Mrksic was born in 1947 in Vrginmost, Croatia, and as a Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) officer took part in the battle for Vukovar in 1991.

After the battle he was promoted to the rank of major-general, and later became the commander of the army (SVK) of the Republic of Serb Krajina (RSK) in May 1995. He retired after the defeat of the Krajina army in August 1995.

Mrksic was accused in 1995, together with Miroslav Radic, Veselin Sljivancanin and Slavko Dokmanovic, by the Hague Tribunal as responsible for the mass murder of more than 260 persons at Ovcara, near Vukovar.

He surrendered voluntarily in May 2002 and was transferred to The Hague the same day.

The trial began in October 2005 and in September 2007, the Trial Chamber of the Hague Tribunal sentenced Mrksic to 20 years in prison for aiding and abetting torture, cruel treatment and murder of 194 Croatian prisoners at the Ovcara farm on November 20, 1991.