TRIAL OF CROATIAN OFFICERS IN ABSENTIA FOR WAR CRIMES IN "STORM" BEGINS IN BELGRADE

BELGRADE, MARCH 28 /SRNA/ - The trial of four Croatian military pilots, accused of rocket attacks on Serbian refugee convoys during the criminal "Storm" on the Petrovac Road and in Svodna in August 1995, began today in Belgrade.

Dušan Bratić, the attorney for the victims from the Petrovac Road, earlier said, as reported by Veritas, that it has been established that 13 civilians were killed, including four children and a pregnant woman, and 25 people were injured, with this not being the final outcome.

After three decades, the first main hearing began before the panel of judges of the Higher Court in Belgrade - Department for War Crimes, and the first testimony will be given by witness Mirko Drča.

The accused are Croatian Air Force officers Vladimir Mikac /67/ from Ptuj, Zdenko Radulj /69/ from Osijek, Željko Jelenić /69/ from Pula, and Danijel Borović /64/ from Varaždin.

The Croatian officers, accused of ordering the bombing of refugee convoys from the Republic of Serbian Krajina on the Petrovac Road and in Svodna near Novi Grad, are being tried in absentia because they have not been available to Serbian judicial authorities since the start of the investigation in 2021.

The crime on the Petrovac Road was committed on August 7, 1995, when several civilians, including children aged six to thirteen, were killed in a bombing of a refugee convoy from an aircraft during the criminal operation "Storm".

The following day, on August 8, 1995, an airstrike targeted a refugee convoy in Svodna near Novi Grad, resulting in the deaths of three civilians.

This is the first indictment issued for war crimes during the "Storm". The operation was agreed upon at a meeting of the Croatian military and state leadership on July 31, 1995, which involved ethnic cleansing, resulting in around 250,000 Serbs being expelled from Croatia.

According to Veritas data, those killed on the Petrovac and Prijedor roads included Darinka Drča /68/, Mika Kovačević /83/, Krstan Vuković /45/, Branko Stijelja /72/, Mirko Stijelja /34/, pregnant woman Mirjana Dubajić /21/, Jovica Drča /6/, Darko Vuković /13/, Nevenka Rajić /12/, Žarko Rajić /10/, Marta Galogaža /60/, Rade Galogaža /40/, and Mile Malobabić /42/.

The following persons were injured: Josipa Drča, Dušan Drča, Duško Ivaneža, Milica Ivaneža, Jovica Piplica, Ante Vitas, Dušan Beslać, Mara Beslać, pregnant woman Vedrana Stijelja, Obrenko Vuković, Dušan Drakulić, Vida Galogaža, Zorka Galogaža, Soka Malobabić, Suzana Ljubišić, Smilja Lajšić, as well as children Željko Drča /13/, Duška Drča /9/, Zorica Beslać /8/, Rajko Galogaža /10/, Goran Galogaža /12/, Miloš Malobabić /14/, and Nikolina Krajčinović /11/.