Croatia Charges Rebel Serb Commander with War Crimes

Croatian police said on Thursday that they have charged an unnamed Serbian citizen, the former commander of the 7th Corps of the rebel Serb-run Army of the Republic of Serbian Krajina, with committing war crimes in today's Sibenik-Knin County from December 1992 to December 1993.

According to the police, the suspect is currently unavailable to the Croatian authorities.

The man, who police said was born in 1944, is suspected of not taking the necessary actions to prevent killings and violence by his subordinates against the remaining Croatian population of the Republic of Serbian Krajina in the area around the town of Drnis.

"During the armed attack on the aforementioned area, [he] was informed that subordinate units were killing and abusing the civilian population and illegally depriving them of their liberty, and then beating and humiliating them and looting and destroying their property," police said in a statement.

Police also said that the rebel Serb commander was "encouraging" his forces to commit violence which resulted in the killing of 35 civilians.

It said that two cases of rape and three cases of attempted rape against five Croatian women have been confirmed to the police, and that "some victims were raped several times".

"Although he had that information, he did not take any measures to prevent, suppress and punish such crimes, although he had the power and authority to do so," police said.

He is also suspected of ordering his subordinate commanders to randomly shell civilian buildings and settlements that were not occupied in the towns of Sibenik and Skradin and the villages of Umljanovici, Pakovo Selo, Sedramic, Raslina and Cavoglave, which resulted in killing 20 civilians.

The town of Drnis, in...