Two Bosnian Croat War Crimes Suspects Surrender
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Bosnian prosecution spokesperson Boris Grubesic told BIRN on Wednesday that former Croatian Defence Council fighter Josip Kresic voluntarily handed himself over for questioning, while fellow suspect Vide Kresic returned to the country from Croatia to face the probe.
Both of them are suspected of crimes against Bosniak civilians who were being held in the Kostana hospital in Stolac during wartime.
According to Grubesic, Josip and Vide Kresic are suspected of torturing and inhumanely treating the civilians who were illegally detained in the hospital. The two suspects are not believed to be close relations.
After questioning the suspects, the prosecution will decide whether or not to file a custody motion.
Vide Kresic has already been charged with war crimes.
The Bosnian prosecution charged him together with Mile Pazin and Ivica Markovic with committing crimes in the municipality of Stolac in 1993.
The indictment alleges that Pazin, Markovic and Kresic, all former members of the Croatian Defence Council, arrested Bosniak civilians in the summer of 1993 and held them in inhumane conditions in Stolac. They were allegedly accompanied by other soldiers.
According to the charges, the civilians were physically and mentally mistreated during their detention and were subjected to other forms of inhumane treatment.
The start of the trial in this case has been postponed until March 15 because prosecutor Stanko Blagic told the trial chamber that he plans to raise another indictment against one of the defendants.
