Zagreb: War Crimes Indictment Filed Against Former Soldiers

The prosecution in Zagreb has filed an indictment against seven people for war crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1995.

According to the indictment, which must be confirmed by the court, seven former members of the Croatian Army, HV, participated in the execution of a group of six Bosnian Serb soldiers in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The suspects named in the indictment are Emil Crncec, Nenad Jurinac, Tihomir Savoric, Anto Novacic, Robert Precehtjer, Goran Gaca and Robert Bevak. All are former members of a unit called Puma.

According to the indictment on September 9 and 10, 1995, the men participated in a military operation called Maestral 2 which took place in the area of Mliniste, Bosnia. Acting on an order from their commander Ivan Korade, they arrested six soldiers of the Army of Republika Srpska, VRS.

Korade committed suicide in 2008 immediately after going on a killing spree that left five people dead, including a child and a police officer.

Crncec was a member of the HV and high-ranking official in the main staff until last year, when he retired at his own request.

Operation Maestral was conducted in northern Bosnia by the HV together with the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

According to the indictment, the victims were Radoslav Lakic, Pero Vidovic, Petar Jotanovic, Dragoslav Mutic, Borislav Vukic and one unidentified man. They were executed shortly after their arrest.

All seven suspects have been held in detention since October last year.