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| |  | | Mirko Norac | | | context : | Former Yugoslavia  | | judgement place : | Croatia | | status : | Sentenced | | particulars : | Indicted by the ICTY; case referred to the County Court of Zagreb; sentenced to 7 years imprisonment on 30 May 2008 | | position : | Former General in the Croatian Army; Commander of the 9th Guards Motorised Brigade during the military operations in the Medak Pocket |
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| | | | On 8 July 2004, Mirko Norac was transferred to the ICTY from a prison in Croatia where he was serving a 12 years sentence handed down by the Croatian County Court of Rijeka for his involvement in the 1991 Gospic massacres. On the same day he made his initial court appearance and pleaded not guilty to all of the charges held against him.
The ICTY issued the initial bill of indictment against Mirko Norac on 20 May 2004, making it public on 25 May. On 30 July of the same year, the First Trial Chamber decided to try conjointly the Mirko Norac case and that of Rahim Ademi (see “related cases”), thereby adopting the consolidated indictment attached to the motion of the Chief Prosecutor, dated 27 July 2004, concerning the junction of both cases.
As alleged in the indictment, Mirko Norac and Rahim Ademi, “acting individually and/or in concert with others including Janko Bobetko, planned, instigated, ordered, committed or otherwise aided and abetted in the planning, preparation or execution of persecutions of Serb civilians of the Medak Pocket on racial, political or religious grounds”.
According to the indictment, Mirko Norac was charged on the basis of his individual criminal responsibility (Art. 7 (1) of the ICTY-Statute) and on the basis of his responsibility as hierarchical superior (Art.7 (3) of the ICTY-Statute) for:
- two counts of crimes against humanity: persecution on racial, political or religious grounds and murder (Art. 5 of the ICTY-Statute),
- three counts of violations of the laws and customs of war: murder, plunder of property and wanton destruction of towns and villages (Art. 3 of the ICTY-Statute).
On 2 September 2005, the Chief Prosecutor, proposed a motion to transfer the Norac and Ademi cases to the authorities of the Republic of Croatia, in conformity with the regulation 11b of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence of the ICTY. On 14 September 2005, this motion was officially adopted.
On 1st November 2005, the dossier was referred to the County Court of Zagreb;
The trial against Ademi and Norac began on 18 June 2007.
The Closing statements by the Defence took place on 26 May 2008.
On 30 May 2008, Norac was found guilty on two of six counts, namely of looting of civilian property and wanton destruction of towns and villages, and sentenced to 5 years for each count, receiving a cumulative sentence of seven years imprisonment.
Norac's attorney announced that he would appeal to the Croatian Supreme Court and consider requesting a retrial before the ICTY. | |    | | Trial Watch would like to remind its users that any person charged by national or international authorities is presumed innocent until proven guilty. | |  |  | | nationality : | | | Croatia | | | date of birth : | | | 19.09.1967 | | | last time seen : | | | Zagreb, Croatia | | | period of charges : | | | 09.09.1993 - 17.09.1993 | | | judgement period : | | | 18.06.2007 - 30.05.2008 | | | charges : | | | Crimes against humanity
War crimes | | | profile last modified : | | | 01.06.2008 |
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