This week the trial against the defendant Dinko Ljubomir Sakic for the war crime against civil population from Article 120, Paragraph 1 of the Basic Penal Code of the Republic of Croatia entered the phase in which all the evidence that had been proposed so far was heard.
Namely, on June 16, 1999, material evidence was heard regarding which the court had ruled that it was going to be read or that its content was going to be presented by the President of the Panel.

The content of most of the documentation that had been submitted to the case file by the State Attorney's Office was presented by the President of the Panel, while at the same time the entire documentation was presented to the parties and public on a big TV screen located in the courtroom.

Regarding the presented evidence, the County State Attorney's Office did not have any objections, while the defence alleged that the content of individual documents was not true or that they were a forgery that had been created after the World War Two.
The defence counsel, attorney-at-law Branko Seric objected to all the documentation originating from the work of the Land Commission for the Determination of the Crimes of Occupying Forces and their Collaborators, alleging that the Land Commission had been a political body governed in its work by political goals, and therefore unable to work objectively and to make valid conclusions.

The defence counsel also objected to the presented evidence - a partial list of victims of Jasenovac camp 1994/95 - stating that this was a non-authorised list which offered no reference as to its source. The same objection was made by the defence counsel regarding all other lists which had been presented in the proceedings as evidence.

The defence counsel also objected to the presentation of evidence and to the stating of the content of the brochure of the Museum of the Victims of Genocide and of the Federal Institute for Statistics, Belgrade 1999. "Jasenovac - a system of concentration camps, April - November, 1944". Namely, he pointed to the fact that this was a document which had been "evidently made solely for the purpose of this proceedings" and that the data from this document contradicted witness testimonies.

The defence also objected to the presentation of evidence that contained statements of persons which had not been given in such a form which would qualify them as evidence admissible before the court.

After having obtained certified copies of the article "I do not regret Jasenovac" from the National and University Library, published in magazine "Panorama", the Trial Panel ruled that the said article was going to be read, and this was done at the trial on June 16, 1999.

The defence counsel objected to this evidence alleging that the said article contained free interpretations of a journalist, and that the statements in the article had been taken out of the context in which they were given. He objected that the content of the discussion between the defendant and the journalist was not authorised by the defendant and that the defendant "does not stand behind the article".

This terminated the presentation of evidence in this phase. The parties stated that they do not move to supplement presentation of evidence. Defence counsel stated that the defendant Dinko Sakic intends to present his defence. He proposed the continuance of the trial for June 23, 1999, for the purpose of the presentation of defence by the defendant.

Granting the defence's motion and at the same time taking into account the fact that it was necessary to decide on the appeal filed by the defence counsel from the ruling which extends defendant's detention, the court panel decided that the trial would continue on June 24, 1999, when the defendant would present his defence.

The next meeting and press conference will be held after the defendant finishes with the presentation of the defence.

DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF THE COURT
Damir Kos