Croatia Upholds Soldier’s Conviction for ‘Medak Pocket’ War Crime

The Croatian Supreme Court announced on Wednesday that it has confirmed the verdict sentencing former Croatian Army soldier Josip Mrsic to three years in prison for committing war crimes against civilians during 1993 'Medak Pocket' operation in southern Croatia.

In a statement explaining the verdict, which was handed down in December, the court says that it "considers that a prison sentence of three years will fulfil the purpose of sentencing". The court also said that it took into account all mitigating and aggravating circumstances.

"It was assessed as an aggravating circumstance that he committed a criminal offence as a professional soldier, depriving an unarmed elderly woman of her life in front of members of his unit, to whom he was to serve as an example," it said.

Zagreb County Court in March 2017 convicted Mrsic, who was a member of the Ninth Croatia Guards Brigade, the 'Wolves', of killing an unknown elderly woman in the village of Licki Citluk, near the town of Gospic.

The court established that Mrsic, along with another member of the unit, Velibor Solaja, fired the shots that killed the woman.

In 2015, Solaja was sentenced to five years in jail. Initially, Mrsic was a witness in the case against Solaja, but he then admitted that he was involved in committing the crime.

"I fired a single bullet in her direction, but the woman didn't fall down," Mrsic told the court at a hearing in May 2014.

He said that immediately afterwards, Solaja fired an automatic weapon at the victim, who ended up on the ground. Mrsic's confession initiated an investigation.

The men's former commander Josip Krmpotic was tried in a separate case which concluded in May last year, when the Supreme Court in May upheld a verdict...

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