Montenegro Starting Inquest on Crimes Over Croats

Chief Montenegro State Attorney will request help of Carla del Ponte in relation to camp in Morinj, where many Croats were killed.

An investigation against six people is started in Podgorica over suspicion of committing war crimes against civilians and war prisoners at Morinj concentration camp, Croatian Radio-Television reports. The main reason for the inquest being opened is the arrival of chief Hague prosecutor Carla del Ponte to Podgorica. Chief Montenegro State Attorney Vesna Medenica will request help of Carla del Ponte in relation to concentration camp in Morinj, where Croats were killed, as well as for other cases of war crimes on Montenegro territory. Based on the testimony of survived camp prisoners, names of 350 prisoners of the Morinje camp are known, mostly people from the area of Dubrovnik (Croatia).

Announcement of the Montenegro High State prosecutor’s office states that the suspects are charged for treating civilians and war prisoners from the Dubrovnik are adversely from the rules of international law from October 3, 1991 until July 2, 1992, as members of the active and reserve composition of the Yugoslav People`s Army (JNA). Montenegro prosecution has not announced names of the six suspects, but the media have publicised that among them might be Mladen Govedarica, retired captain, and officer Mladen Goranovic, as well as persons with initials I.K. and S.I.

-We do not want to take people to court based on something that someone testified before Croatian courts 15 years ago. They will have to stand before Montenegro jurisdiction organs in order to identify the perpetrator and then go to court with solid evidence- Medenica said, claiming that she cannot except all evidence in relation to Morinj which she had received from Croatian State Attorney`s Office, therefore she will seek help from The Hague Tribunal.