Markac and Cermak: Plea Postponed

Generals Mladen Markač and Ivan Čermak face an amended indictment for their alleged roles in war crimes against the Croatian Serbs in Krajina during the war of 1995.



The judge said it would be better to wait for prosecutor’s motion for joinder of the case with that of Croatian general Ante Gotovina, recently captured in Spain.



Prosecutor Alex Whiting said a motion for joinder should be submitted by the end of January. He said there would be some changes to the elements concerning Cermak and Markac.



The current amended indictment against them charges the generals with nine counts of individual and command responsibility in connection with persecutions, killings, deportations, inhumane acts, destruction and plunder as crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war committed against Croatian Serbs from the Krajina region in the course of and after Operation Storm in 1995.



The indictment against Gotovina charges the general with six counts of violations of international humanitarian law committed in the Krajina region in the same period.



All three are charged with committing the said acts as part of "a joint criminal enterprise".



Parker said he still hoped that the joint trial will start before the end of this year.