Serbia Drops Trumped up War Crimes Charges
Serbia on Thursday dropped the case against a Croatian war veteran, which has strained postwar relations between former foes.
The war crimes prosecutor’s office said in a statement that there was not sufficient evidence to back the charges against Tihomir Purda and two other suspects.
Purda was arrested in Bosnia in January on a Serbian warrant accusing him of war crimes against the sick and wounded in eastern Croatia during the 1991-95 war. The 1991 war erupted when Croatia declared independence from Serb-led Yugoslavia.
A Bosnian court recently approved Purda’s extradition to Serbia, despite protests from the Croatian government.
In Croatia, parliament speaker Luka Bebic said Serbia’s decision was “expected” though it took too long, while Croat veteran groups defiantly said they “needed no amnesty from Serbia.”