Belgrade court acquits man accused of killing 11 Croats

Belgrade court acquits man accused of killing 11 Croats

BELGRADE -- The War Crimes Department of the High Court in Belgrade has acquitted a former member of a Territorial Defense unit accused of killing 11 Croat civilians.

Zarko Cubrilo was a member of the Territorial Defense in Tenja, eastern Croatia. The civilians were killed in the summer of 1991.

The prosecution has the right to appeal this decision before the Appellate Court in Belgrade.

Cubrilo, who pleaded not guilty, was charged of illegally detaining and killing the victims near the village of Bobota in Croatia.

The bodies of the victims have never been found, as they have been moved from the crime scene, the prosecution said following the indictment.

The Tenja case was transferred to the prosecution on the basis of an agreement on cooperation in the criminal prosecution of perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide between the prosecution offices of Serbia and Croatia.

The Belgrade court said on Monday that the prosecution failed to prove its accusations, while witness testimonies heard during the trial were described as "containing numerous contradictions."