Trial of Mate Martic Begins

Martic, who was allegedly accompanied with another HVO soldier, is charged with having escorted a group of prisoners of war from the school building in Perkovici to Zepacko Raskrsce locality, where they were supposed to dig trenches, on July 9, 1993. He allegedly forced to crawl in mud and thorny shrubs, while hitting them with a rifle butt.

“When they arrived to Zepacko Raskrsce, shooting from the combat lines began. The prisoners began withdrawing, but Martic mounted a grenade-firing extension, so-called drunken Ustasha, on his rifle and ordered the prisoners to stand up. After that he began shooting at them, wounding two of the prisoners,” the indictment alleges.

It further alleges that, in July 1993 Martic met a prisoner of war and began questioning him why he was alone and why he was fleeing. After that he hit him on his testicles with a rifle butt. The prisoner had to receive medical assistance because of that.

The Cantonal Prosecution announced the examination of four witnesses, injured parties and eyewitnesses, while the Defence explained that it would prove that the indictee was just a shepherd in the period, when the crimes were committed, and that he was not even close to the elementary school in Perkovici or the Zepacko Raskrsce locality.

The trial of Martic, who is defending himself while at liberty, is due to continue on March 24.