Miroslav Miralem Bajramovic listening judgement of County court in Zagreb
Novosti
Independent Serbian weekly magazine (Zagreb/Vukovar)
Issue 301, 23rd September 2005., page 5.,6. and 7.
Theme of the week
Pakracka Poljana camp without war crime?
The case Pakracka Poljana disgraced again Croatian judicature. Although on first sight there were spectacular judgements ten years for Munib Suljic, eight for Sinisa Rimac and five for Igor Mikola explanation of judgement that on area of Pakracka Poljana founded a camp in which poeople were treated as in nazi time, but it is not war crime but crime in war conditions, is opposite of common sense. By that is given partly a right to former President of Supreme court, Milan Vukovic, who said that Croatian soldiers couldn’t commit a war crime, because they defended themselves.
Recently finished repeated trial in case Pakracka Poljana, despite of on first sight spectacular judgements ten years in prison for Munib Suljic, eight for Sinisa Rimac, five for Igor Mikola and four, that is, three for Miroslav Bajramovic and Branko Saric again showed that Croatian judicature is not ready enough to face with dark part of Civil War. The explanation of judgement itself that was not a war crime but crime in war conditions, and that on area Pakracka Poljana founded a camp like nazi ones in Second World War, it is in contradiction with common sense. Namely, if Munib Suljic and Sinisa Rimac condemned for murder of Aleksandar Sasa Antic, in camp in which people were treated as in nazi time, and Igor Mikola helped them in that, if Miro Bajramovic and Branko Saric condemned for illegal kidnaping of Serb from Zagreb, Milos Ivosevic and two workers on building-site of his house, Rade Pajic and Marko Grujic, killed in the same camp, by which logic it is not a war crime?
Unpunished organisators of camp
If it is known that from collecting center on Zagreb’s fair (Section 22), from military custody Kerestinec, and from a place in western Slavonia under control of Croatian autorities loyal Serbs, war convicts and undesireable Croats were taken to camp in Pakracka Poljana, that is war crime itself, because there was no legal basis to do something like that. If those poor people were killed there, as it was proved in judgement, there was no basis by which judge Rajka Tomerlin Almer could conclude that it was a war crime in war conditions.
Legendary statement of former President of Supreme court, Milan Vukovic that Croatian soldiers by definition couldn’t commit a crime because they were defending, is said at the 90-ties exactly as a comment of first serious headlines about war crime in Pakracka Poljana. So, Milan Vukovic thought under defense of Croatia also kidnaping of loyal Serbs and undesireable Croats, their placing in camp in which people were treated as in nazi time, where they were, honestly, killed on a bit more primitive way: not in gas chambers, but with bullet in head. In certain way judge Rajka Tomerlin Almer agrees with thoughts of Milan Vukovic. It would be better if judge didn’t mention nazi character of camp in Pakracka Poljana, because then at least those totaly ignorant, but anyway more intelligent, couldn’t ask: well, who organised that camp, who was the commander of it? Why didn’t you punish them?
Tudjman appalled over Bajramovic’s claims?
How come that Tomislav Mercep, commander of reserve police unit, whose members was five condemned Mercep men, was not in custody ever because of these crimes? Even Zvonimir Trusic, owner of cafe Stil on Zagreb’s fair as a commanding headquarters for collecting center in Section 22, at beginning 1992. with several Mercep men, was under custody and under investigation, but Mercep didn’t. In time of incriminating events wounded lied in hospital and we couldn’t accuse him, replied in 1997. Anto Nobilo, at that time deputy of county public prosecutor on question of deceased Leader Franjo Tudjman in one conversation in President’s office. Tudjman and Nobilo talked about strategies of defense of Tihomir Blaskic, but Tudjman got news about interview of Miroslav Bajramovic for Feral Tribune, so Nobilo offered to say what he knew about Pakracka Poljana case, and Tudjman asked about rolle of Tomislav Mercep in all that. By stenogram of his conversation, which Nacional published last year, and Nobilo publicly confirmed it, Tudjman sincerely was appalled over Bajramovic’s statements that he alone killed about 70 people, and that Mercep’s unit, so called Autumn rains, in Pakracka Poljana liqidated 280 people, mostly Serbs.
Consulting with Miroslav Separovic, at that time Minister of judicature, Tudjman ordered to deputy of main state attorney , Marijan Hranjski, to arrest immediately Bajramovic and others whom he mentioned that were with him in crimes. Nobilo claimed that he didn’t read that interview, but that he came to similar things in 1992. when as a deputy of county prosecutor, led the first investigation. Last year Nobilo in interview for Vecernji list boasted that he said to Tudjman that everything what Bajramovic said for Feral was correct.
Bajramovic fake witness provocateur?
In fact, exactly that interview of Miroslav Bajramovic is one of the key spots of suppressing of truth about Pakracka Poljana and honest processing of all outrages that happened there. Miroslav Bajramovic was previously read by investigators of ICTY who in 1997. investigated desappearings and murders of Vukovar Serbs from 1991., in time of absolute rule of Tomislav Mercep in that town. Belgrade’s professor, Vojin Dabic, who cooperated on that investigation with Graham Blewit, at that time deputy of main ICTY’s prosecutor, Louise Arbour, told to the author of these lines that Bajramovic offered himself as a witness of crime of Mercep men in Vukovar and said about 20 names of Serbs whom, namely he and his companions, killed and threw into the Danube.
-We found out that he made up all those names, and only accurate information that we got from Bajramovic is the place on the bank of Danube where corps were thrown, said to the author of these lines Dabic, swearing that Miroslav Bajramovic is proved fake witness provocateur. It is not clear why Anto Nobilo still claims that Bajramovic’s statement to Feral is accurate, nor why around Bajramovic at the end of 90-ties engaged Cicak’s HHO.
At the very beginning of the interview for Feral, Bajramovic brings out proved untruth: Our group is down (in Gospic, auth.rem.) liquidated between 90 and 110 people, because we were too short time, not even a month. For Gospic was an order- ethnic cleansing: we killed director of the post, hospital, the owner of restaurant and some other Serbs. The murders were done by a gun in a forhead, because we didn’t have enough time. I repeat, from headquarters we got the order to reduce the percentage of Serbs in Gospic. From previous appearences of Milan Levar, and through all different testimonies and documents, revealed before so called Bajramovic’s story, it was known that role of Mercep men in war crimes in Gospic in comparison of roles of Tihomir Oreskovic and Mirko Norac, was insignificant. By all this, Bajramovic’s statement for Feral should serve to one part of goverment to show that Croatian public and Croatian government appalled over war crimes done by Croatian units, and that would immediately be processed acts about he gave testimony. Of course, as soon as he was in custody, Bajramovic denied that he gave interview for Feral, and by that the contents of recognition.
Novosti, Independent Serbian weekly magazine
No corps no crime
Tomislav Mercep and Zvonimir Trusic, whom Bajramovic marked as organisators of crime in Pakracka Poljana, were not in custody. And from those in custody, some useful informations in investigation to prosecution gave Stipe Mandjarelo, a man who was before the war member of the Serb-ortodox church, Gipsy, and in war, changed his identity, gave statements as he was bigger Ustasha than Ante Pavelic. The same Mandjarelo in custody suddenly got sick and died. And to make the thing more bizzare, his body was cremated, although there are rare cases to cremate bodies of catholics. But after the cremation no post mortem examination can be done, that is check the cause of the death, what is by many spactators the biggest reason why he was cremated. By rather reliable datas, the body of Marina Nuic, the member of at some time party of Marko Veselica, HDS (Croatian Demokratic Party), who was in Pakracka Poljana to give humanitarian aid, and under accusation that she was a spy, after many rapes she was killed, finished in crematorium on Salata, so for her death nobody was accused. No corps no crime.
The statement that Mandjarelo gave before he suddenly died, and there were serious indications that he would continue to talk freely if death didn’t stop him in that, was used only as an evidence that two-three Mercep men, on that first trial for Pakracka Poljana, condemn only for illegal kidnaping. Others, as Munib Suljic, Sinisa Rimac and Igor Mikola, without any judgement in June 1999. were released from prison. Prosecution didn’t get any other evidences, and the court the statements of two witnesses, citizens of Serb nationality (Nikola Peles and Branko Velagic), who gave testimony in 1992. that they were forced to dig a grave for Aleksandar Sasa Antic, marked as inconsistent and contradictory.
Intimidation of witness on court’s hall
When Supreme court in 2001. cancelled a part of judgement from 1999. and ordered another trial for Pakracka Poljana case, happened even bigger burlesque. Accused Suljic and Mikola, defending from freedom, on court’s hall intimidated two mentioned witnesses, after what the witnesses in front of the judge showed even bigger amnesya and contradictory that on first trial. Judicial police didn’t prevent such intimidation of witnesses, or reacted in any way, when in breaks of the trial, Suljic and Mikola went to the toilette, from which could be heard sniffing, and two of them with narrower pupils of the eyes, and hectic reactions continue to follow the trial.
So, Suljic, Rimac and Mikola were condemned this time on basis of even more inconsistent, contradictory and more amnestyc testimonies of Pelesa and Velagic. It was unbelieveable that one of those witnesses during trial suddenly started to talk that Munib Suljic told him that he would next time work on digging even bigger, massive grave, and that statement not prosecution nor court took into record and ordered further investigation.
Also, it was absolutely unbelieveable that no Croatian investigation of crimes in Pakracka Poljana didn’t take in record the act of Militaty court in Zagreb in 1993. (nr.of act:III-Kir-32/93), in which one of accused for stealing on battle field, Franjo Krcelic, claimed that he got aproval that from Serb houses he can take things he needed for his (tractor, television etc.) from his first superior Nikola Cvitanovic. To that act was attached ratification of police of Croatia nr. 511-01-231-1/92, dated 4 February 1992. addressed from Pakracka Poljana, and with which advisor of Minister, Tomislav Mercep, confirmed that Franjo Krcelic was engaged in reserve unit of police since 1st October 1991. till 31st January 1992. on Pakrac-Lipik battle field. That time is the time of crimes in Pakracka Poljana and that is the proof that Tomislav Mercep in that time was commander of mentioned unit.
Convicts Igor Mikola and Munib Suljic on Nacional’s photo session
Responsibility of SDP
Besides, it is not clear why Croatian judicature didn’t get statements from witnesses from villages around Pakrac, Lipik, Daruvar and Kutina who gave testimonies, available to ICTY, about taking and killing their neighbours and relatives (especially is tragic story about killings lots of people of Serb nationality from village Kip). Nikola Ivkanec, chief of police in Pakrac 1993. helped with investigation about crimes over Serbs which was led by commission of UN, with Cherif Bassioni on head, which was the beginning of ICTY and which discovered graveyard with 18 corps. It is unknown whether Croatian investigators ever took statement from Nikola Ivkanec, to clear up the crime in Pakracka Poljana. For a long time the relatives of the murdered couldn’t get ratification about death of their dearest. When Pakrac’s judge, Vojin Mrzic, gave such one ratification to wife of Jovo Zestic, in which, among other, said that missing Jovo Zestic died in prison Ribnjaci in Marino selo in 17 November 1991. in which with several people from village Klisa, took by members of ZNG (Cro. Army)…, the same man got a dismissal on court. The shadow of Pakracka Poljana falls on at that time leading men of SDP, who through Zdravko Tomac participated in work of Government of national unity. So, Tomac was in that Government in charge for following the situation in western Slavonia. There is also a written testimony that a member of Kutina’s leading team of SDP went for previously arranged meeting with headquarters of the party in Zagreb to inform the center about crimes in his area, so the criminals kidnaped him and killed him, and from SDP center nobody didn’t even protested against that. The number of murdered on several locations known under one name Pakracka Poljana, moves from 18 , that number at the beginning managed to prove Bassoni’s commission, to several hundreds, as some organisations claimed from Serbia, which were dealing with those problems. The accurate number will be known one day for sure, and on Croatian judicature stays a shame that it brought a verdict for only one killed Croatian policema, with Serb roots, Aleksandar Sasa Antic, and his companions named him for a spy, and for kidnaping but not a murder, three Serbs from Zagreb: douane worker Milos Ivosevic and two workers from his building-site, Rade Pajic and Marko Grujic.
Writes: Zeljko Peratovic
