General Ante Gotovina
NEWSFLASH FROM daily.tportal.hr
The defence team for Croatian General Ante Gotovina has asked the appeals chamber of the UN tribunal in the Hague to allow the introduction of new evidence which his lawyers believe challenges a conclusion of the trial chamber’s judgment that local Serbs fled central and southern Croatia due to excessive shelling of Knin by the Croatian Army during the liberating operation “Storm” in August 1995 when the Croatian forces retook those areas from Serb insurgents, the tribunal reported on Wednesday 1 August.
Those are documents that were not available to the defence teams during the trial, as the prosecution of the UN-run International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) failed to disclose them in timely manner.
Gotovina’s lawyers also believe that those five documents “could have impacted the Trial Chamber’s verdict.”
The lawyers say that the new evidence show that Serb civilians were evacuated on the order of local Serb rebel authorities who prepared a plan for evacuation and even asked the United Nations personnel “to facilitate the evacuation of 32,000 civilians”.
The contents of another four documents have not been disclosed as they are marked as classified documents.
The defence also proposes the addition of a statement by British artillery expert Timothy Granville-Chapman who also contests the trial chamber’s conclusion about excessive and indiscriminate shelling by the Croatian forces.
Link to the ICTY motion filed and Observations by Sir Timothy Granville-Chapman , General, UK Army regarding artillery shelling of Knin in Croatia’s Operation Storm (1995), comparisons with today’s advances and reality in warfare
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St John CH8 V32,
“And you will know the truth, and truth will make you free”
That is what I pray too, that is why we continue fighting for truth, telling the truth. And it’s not only the prayer that arises out of one’s faith it’s in the face of all the corruption and political manipulation with the truth that makes us observers even more adamant to pray
I am appalled – but not surprised – to see that these documents the prosecution witheld from the defence were only disclosed in January and March of this year, despite having been in the prosecutor’s hands throughout the trial. Apparently they even denied having a couple of them during trial.
Shock after shock even though we are not surprised. But at least more truth is public bit by bit even if it becomes twisted and suppressed in the court. Markac and Gotovina are heroes, will stay heroes.
Robyn…LOL it’s the ICTY trial for Gotovina and Markac…the judges aren’t interested in the truth…they are interested in equalizing guilt at all costs…as the ICTY indicated earlier, they will convict G&M on anything no matter what it is or what the charges have laid.
While, as you say Sunman, the ICTY path so far is obvious there’s the hope and prayer that in the end where Serb aggression is concerned, Lancelot was right
Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, 1596:
LAUNCELOT: Nay, indeed, if you had your eyes, you might fail of
the knowing me: it is a wise father that knows his
own child. Well, old man, I will tell you news of
your son: give me your blessing: truth will come
to light; murder cannot be hid long; a man’s son
may, but at the length truth will out.
Sunman, like you, we are all frustrated by the negative actions of the ICTY in regards to Generals Gotovina and Markac, but through the power of prayer, and the power of collective positive thought, I believe the truth will emerge regardless of those who wish to suppress it. The release of documents that had previously been witheld by the prosecution are evidence of ‘The truth shall prevail’ …let’s keep it going..positivity is a powerful force!
The withholding of those documents should not faze anyone. Everyone knew the truth and ignored it including the United Nations along with the British and American government who are co – conspirators in the plot to imprison our general.. We all know the generals were nothing more then pawns in a nasty political game. The ICTY Judges and Prosecutors have for the most part lost its credibility with many people in the world as has the United nations. Both organizations need to be dismantled. The generals will be freed at some point in time and then the whole world will hear their voices and the truth will be told of all those who betrayed them and the Croatian people. Intentionally withholding evidence is a criminal matter and should be taken very serious by the court. Those who participated in withholding the documents can be classified and charged as part of a criminal conspiracy since there were more then one withholding these documents intentionally . They can also be charged with human rights violation of false imprisonment and a slew of other criminal charges that I will need to look up under international law. The truth has yet to be told and this is just the surface. If the ICTY wants to save face they will expedite the freedoms of the generals and I believe this will be the outcome.
Yes, I am very frustrated as are many who believe in truth and justice. Yes, I continue to pray for our heroes. I hope and hope that finally the truth will be revealed and the Generals set free. But I despair at the ICTY process and the time it is taking and the lives it has consumed.
Spot on multiplied by millions