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Serbs testify on abuse by Croatians

Two Serbs described being tortured and beaten in a wartime prison in southern Croatia, giving testimony on Thursday in the trial of eight former Croatian military policemen.

Miroslav Petrovic and Darko Milijanovic were held in the notorious Lora prison in the coastal city of Split during the 1991-92 war.

They traveled from Serbia to testify after receiving guarantees of their safety from both the Croatian and the Serb governments.

Petrovic, a former Yugoslav army soldier, recalled being "electrocuted and forced to drink salt water before being exposed to the searing sun for hours," among other abuses, a court statement said.

He also said that he remembered passing out and his skin being severely scraped off from the beatings.

Milijanovic, also a former member of the Yugoslav army, said he was subjected to "torture and cruel treatment" during a two month ordeal at the prison.

Dozens of Serbs and Yugoslav army soldiers were imprisoned in Lora during the war, when the Yugoslav army backed a Croatian Serb rebellion against Croatia's independence.

According to the prosecution, many of the Serb detainees were tortured and at least two died of severe abuse and beatings, while scores of others were seriously injured. Detainees were also allegedly deprived of food and water, the indictment says.

Both witnesses pointed out that the defendants they said were responsible.

The eight former military policemen are being retried after they were acquitted in their first trial in 2002. The judge had cited a lack of evidence against them, but the Supreme Court later annulled the ruling, saying the trial had been "seriously flawed."

Four of the suspects -- including top suspect Tomislav Duic -- have evaded arrest and are being tried in absentia. All eight have pleaded not guilty.

The witnesses from Serbia did not appear at the original trial, saying they feared for their safety. A total of eight witnesses are expected to testify at the new trial this week.

Each of the accused faces 20 years in prison if convicted.

Until recently, Croatia had been reluctant to try its own people for war crimes. Since the country elected pro-Western leaders and launched a drive to join the EU, it has brought some suspects to trial in Croatian courts.

The trial was adjourned until Nov. 7, when new witnesses were scheduled to testify.
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