Crime in Beli Manastir
On 1 November 2010 began the main hearing before the Higher Court in Belgrade in the trial against four former members of Serb formations indicted for a commission of war crime against civilians in the second half of 1991 in the area of former Municipality Beli Manastir.
INDICTMENT (SUMMARY)
According to the Indictment issued by the Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor of the Republic of Serbia, accused persons Zoran Vukšić, Slobodan Strigić, Branko Hrnjak and Velimir Bertić are charged that they, in their capacity as members of the Special Operation Police Unit of the so called SAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia, in the then Municipality Beli Manastir area during the second half of 1991, killed at least six civilians of non-Serb ethnicity. They are also charged that they unlawfully imprisoned civilians, caused them physical injuries, intimidated, terrorised, tortured and treated them inhumanely.
In 2008, the State Attorney’s Office of the Republic of Croatia transferred the case file to the Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor of the Republic of Serbia on the basis of theAgreement on the cooperation in the prosecution of perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and crimes of genocide.
VERDICT
On 19 June 2012, the court pronounced its first-instance verdict and found the defendants guilty. The received the following prison sentences: Vukšić – a maximum of 20 years, Strigić – 10, Hrnjak 5 and Bertić – 1 year and six months in prison.
