Judge: Ovčara re-trial to end in October

The re-trial for war crimes committed at Ovcara farm in 1991 will end in October, says presiding judge Vesko Krstajic. The re-trial started last March after the Supreme Court quashed the first instance verdict of the Belgrade District Court’s War Crimes Chamber, and, according to the judge, there are only a few witnesses left to testify before the summer recess and in September. Judge: Ovcara re-trial to end in October Krstajic said that those witnesses had been called by Milorad Pejic’s defense team, who responded yesterday to the charges in the indictment, and who is on trial with 17 others for the Ovcara massacre. In response to the defense’s concerns at the possibility of the trial extending in the event of recently extradited Damir Sireta’s indictment being combined with the others, the judge said that the trial chamber would not allow the proceedings to be combined, because the trial had “gone on long enough already.” The trial will continue today with testimonies from witnesses put forward by first-accused Miroljub Vujovic, who was sentenced to 20 years behind bars at the initial trial for his part in the murders of 200 Croatian prisoners at Ovcara farm. Besides Vujovic, Stanko Vujovic, Milan Lancuzanin, Predrag Milojevic, Predrag Dragovic, Djordje Sosic, Miroslav Djankovic and Ivan Atanasijevic all received the maximum sentence of 20 years, as did Sasa Radak who was tried separately. Vujo Zlatar, Milan Vojinovic, and Jovica Peric were sentenced to 12 years. Nada Kalaba, the only female accused, was sentenced to nine years, as was Predrag Madzarac, while Goran Mugosa was received a five-year sentence. Marko Ljuboja and Slobodan Katic were cleared of all charges

Judge: Ovčara re-trial to end in October

Krstajić said that those witnesses had been called by Milorad Pejić’s defense team, who responded yesterday to the charges in the indictment, and who is on trial with 17 others for the Ovčara massacre.

In response to the defense’s concerns at the possibility of the trial extending in the event of recently extradited Damir Sireta’s indictment being combined with the others, the judge said that the trial chamber would not allow the proceedings to be combined, because the trial had “gone on long enough already.”

The trial will continue today with testimonies from witnesses put forward by first-accused Miroljub Vujović, who was sentenced to 20 years behind bars at the initial trial for his part in the murders of 200 Croatian prisoners at Ovčara farm.

Besides Vujović, Stanko Vujović, Milan Lančužanin, Predrag Milojević, Predrag Dragović, Đorđe Šošić, Miroslav Đanković and Ivan Atanasijević all received the maximum sentence of 20 years, as did Saša Radak who was tried separately.

Vujo Zlatar, Milan Vojinović, and Jovica Perić were sentenced to 12 years.

Nada Kalaba, the only female accused, was sentenced to nine years, as was Predrag Madžarac, while Goran Mugoša was received a five-year sentence.

Marko Ljuboja and Slobodan Katić were cleared of all charges