Closing statements in Medak Pocket case

The Zagreb District Court yesterday heard the closing statements in the war crimes trial of retired Croatian Generals Rahim Ademi and Mirko Norac. The two are charged with crimes committed during military operations in the Medak Pocket in September 1993. Closing statements in Medak Pocket case Ademi’s counsel Cedo Prodanovic said in his closing statement that it had not been proven that his client had committed any of the crimes he had been accused of during the Medak Pocket operation, nor that he had even led the action. “Of the commands to attack and form a Sector, one was written by Ademi on the orders of General Janko Bobetko. Under these orders, one sector was formed, which was operatively led by the accused, Mirko Norac,” Prodanovic said. He said that then commander of the special police Mladen Markac, Norac and Bobetko had prepared the action, which, he said, could be seen from Bobetko’s book "All My Battles", in which Ademi’s name is not even mentioned. Prodanovic added that Ademi had never given orders to Norac, which was confirmed by the testimonies of a number of witnesses, while the request to withdraw the Croatian Army was given verbally by General Petar Stipetic, who had later told Ademi to record that order in written form. Norac’s counsel Zeljko Olujic also dismissed the charges, stating that there was no evidence that any soldier had committed a crime under Norac’s orders. He called for his client to be acquitted on all charges, stating that criminal responsibility existed only if the commander knew that crimes had or would occur. “Under Croatian criminal law, a defendant cannot be found guilty if that awareness has not been proven, and it has not been,” Olujic underlined, adding that the accused could not be convicted of something that was not defined as a crime by law. Norac’s counsel said that by transferring the case to the Croatian courts, the Hague Tribunal had agreed to the application of Croatian laws, adding that politics had had a bearing on the course of the trial. He said that in this case, there had been no talk of a dual chain of command, as mentioned several times by Ademi. In the prosecution’s closing statement last Wednesday, it was stated that 23 Serb civilians and five prisoners had been killed during the Medak Pocket operation of September 9-17, 1993. The prosecution claimed that torture and the destruction of 300 mainly civilian buildings had taken place during the attack, as well as poisoning of wells, slaughter of livestock, and looting of valuable civilian property. The verdict could be delivered as early as the end of this week.

Closing statements in Medak Pocket case

Ademi’s counsel Čedo Prodanović said in his closing statement that it had not been proven that his client had committed any of the crimes he had been accused of during the Medak Pocket operation, nor that he had even led the action.

“Of the commands to attack and form a Sector, one was written by Ademi on the orders of General Janko Bobetko. Under these orders, one sector was formed, which was operatively led by the accused, Mirko Norac,” Prodanović said.

He said that then commander of the special police Mladen Markač, Norac and Bobetko had prepared the action, which, he said, could be seen from Bobetko’s book "All My Battles", in which Ademi’s name is not even mentioned.

Prodanović added that Ademi had never given orders to Norac, which was confirmed by the testimonies of a number of witnesses, while the request to withdraw the Croatian Army was given verbally by General Petar Stipetić, who had later told Ademi to record that order in written form.

Norac’s counsel Željko Olujić also dismissed the charges, stating that there was no evidence that any soldier had committed a crime under Norac’s orders.

He called for his client to be acquitted on all charges, stating that criminal responsibility existed only if the commander knew that crimes had or would occur.

“Under Croatian criminal law, a defendant cannot be found guilty if that awareness has not been proven, and it has not been,” Olujić underlined, adding that the accused could not be convicted of something that was not defined as a crime by law.

Norac’s counsel said that by transferring the case to the Croatian courts, the Hague Tribunal had agreed to the application of Croatian laws, adding that politics had had a bearing on the course of the trial.

He said that in this case, there had been no talk of a dual chain of command, as mentioned several times by Ademi.

In the prosecution’s closing statement last Wednesday, it was stated that 23 Serb civilians and five prisoners had been killed during the Medak Pocket operation of September 9-17, 1993.

The prosecution claimed that torture and the destruction of 300 mainly civilian buildings had taken place during the attack, as well as poisoning of wells, slaughter of livestock, and looting of valuable civilian property.

The verdict could be delivered as early as the end of this week.