Trial of Croatian generals continues

The trial of three Croatian generals charged with committing war crimes in 1995 continues at the Hague.

Izvor: Beta

Monday, 28.04.2008.

13:18

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The trial of three Croatian generals charged with committing war crimes in 1995 continues at the Hague. Prosecution witness Mihail Yermolayev said that in September 1995, second-accused General Ivan Cermak denied the claims of the UN mission that crimes were being committed in and around Knin, even though he knew otherwise. Trial of Croatian generals continues The then military commissar in Knin is charged together with Ante Gotovina, who led Operation Storm, and Special Police Commander Mladen Markac for persecution and other crimes against the Serb population in the Knin region. Yermolayev, who was then a military observer for the UN mission in Knin, said that the mission had sent a number of protests to Cermak for widespread destruction, and the torching of homes and murder of civilians in neighboring villages. “I remember one reply from Cermak’s headquarters that particularly astounded us—that no-one had set any homes on fire, and that there had been no looting,” recalled the witness. He pointed out that this had seemed to UN officials as if “Cermak had absolutely no idea what was happening in the sector under his control.” Responding to further questions from presiding Judge Alphons Orie, Yermolayev later added, however, that “there was no doubt that Cermak knew far better than us what was going on, because all roads and operations by Croatian forces were under his control.” “I was sure that Cermak knew fine well what was going on in his zone of responsibility,” stressed Yermolayev, ascribing the initial vagueness in his testimony to the fact that he was testifying in English, which was not his mother tongue. He said that he had never seen a single UN report stating that Croatian forces’ bombardment of Knin on August 4 and 5, 1995 had been limited to military targets. As an example of unselective bombing, Yermolayev cited the fact that the house he had been staying in had been hit, as well as a nearby school where he had never observed any Serb troops or military equipment.

Trial of Croatian generals continues

The then military commissar in Knin is charged together with Ante Gotovina, who led Operation Storm, and Special Police Commander Mladen Markač for persecution and other crimes against the Serb population in the Knin region.

Yermolayev, who was then a military observer for the UN mission in Knin, said that the mission had sent a number of protests to Čermak for widespread destruction, and the torching of homes and murder of civilians in neighboring villages.

“I remember one reply from Čermak’s headquarters that particularly astounded us—that no-one had set any homes on fire, and that there had been no looting,” recalled the witness.

He pointed out that this had seemed to UN officials as if “Čermak had absolutely no idea what was happening in the sector under his control.”

Responding to further questions from presiding Judge Alphons Orie, Yermolayev later added, however, that “there was no doubt that Čermak knew far better than us what was going on, because all roads and operations by Croatian forces were under his control.”

“I was sure that Čermak knew fine well what was going on in his zone of responsibility,” stressed Yermolayev, ascribing the initial vagueness in his testimony to the fact that he was testifying in English, which was not his mother tongue.

He said that he had never seen a single UN report stating that Croatian forces’ bombardment of Knin on August 4 and 5, 1995 had been limited to military targets.

As an example of unselective bombing, Yermolayev cited the fact that the house he had been staying in had been hit, as well as a nearby school where he had never observed any Serb troops or military equipment.

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