Mirko Norac
Encyclopedia
Mirko Norac is a former general of the Croatian Army. In 2003 he became the first Croatian Army general to be found guilty of war crimes by a Croatian court
after he was transferred from The Hague
. He is serving a 12 year sentence for the Gospić massacre
of ethnic Serb civilians for which, in May 2008, he was sentenced to an additional 7 years in prison for war crimes in the Operation Medak Pocket
.
, now part of the Republic of Croatia. He attended school in Sinj
.
Soon after the first multi-party elections in Croatia
in August 1990, Norac joined the Ministry of Interior. On 12 September 1990 he joined the Lučko Anti-Terrorist Unit, a unit of the Croatian police
.
As a member of the Lučko Anti-Terrorist Unit, he took part in several early operations of the Croatian police forces including the Plitvice Lakes incident
.
where he took part in fighting against local Serbs and Yugoslav People's Army
(JNA) units. The town was surrounded from 3 sides and there was a JNA barracks, the Stanko Opsenica (with around 70 officers and 200 soldiers, plus numerous Serbian paramilitaries) situated in it. After four days of siege, led by Norac, the JNA surrendered the barracks. In mid-September 1991 Norac was appointed commander of the 118th Brigade of the Croatian Army. One month later he took part in event known as the Gospić massacre
when between 100-120 local Serbs were murdered by men under his command. Norac became the youngest colonel
of the Croatian Army. He was also appointed commander of the 118th Brigade of the Croatian Army.
in early 1993. He went on to command Operation Medak Pocket
, during which time war crimes against the local ethnic Serb population were committed. In the operation Norac was wounded in both hands and legs by an unexploded land mine
. He spent a month in a Zagreb
hospital, and then returned to Gospić. In 1994 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier
and appointed commander of the Gospić Operational Zone. That same year he became the duke of Alkarsko društvo. The Mayor of Zagreb, Milan Bandić
, and other top Croatian officials attended the event.
in August 1995 and on 25 September 1995 he was promoted to the rank of Major General
. On 15 March 1996, Norac was appointed commander of the Knin
Corps District.
The President of Croatia
Stevo Mesić discharged Norac from the Croatian Army on 29 September 2000 after he signed the so-called Twelve Generals' Letter
against what was claimed to be "criminalization" of the Croatian War of Independence
.
Crisis Headquarters) called a meeting to organise the killing of ethnic Serb civilians in the area. During that meeting a list of Serbs to be executed was made. Norac reportedly attended the meeting, among a group of masked and unmasked soldiers and civil policemen, which later raided houses in Gospić and took custody of ethnic Serb civilians, informing them that they were to be interrogated. He organised and directed the executions of the civilians in a desolate area near the town. He executed one woman himself to incite the killing.
On 8 February 2001 an arrest warrant for Norac was issued by the Ministry of Interior, and Norac, then living in Zagreb
, asked the Zagreb police if he could turn himself in at another location, Rijeka
, to avoid the media. He was allowed to do so but used the opportunity to escape. Sixteen days later (on 22 February) he turned himself in, denying all charges. On 5 March 2001, an indictment against Norac, Tihomir Orešković, Stjepan Grandić, Ivica Rožić and Milan Canić was issued, accusing them of the murder of 50 civilians at Karlobag
, Pazarište and Lipova glavica. According to some testimonies, the liquidation of Serbs came as revenge for the Široka Kula massacre
, committed by rebel Serbs a few days before.
The trial at Rijeka
County Court lasted for 14 months and over 150 witnesses testified, including Croatian soldiers and civilians. On 24 March 2003, Norac was found guilty and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Orešković and Grandić were sentenced to 15 and 10 years and Rožić and Canić were acquitted of all charges due to lack of evidence. Norac is serving his sentence in Glina
, where he has was allowed, on at least one occasion, to go home for a weekend to visit family in Sinj.
and Janko Bobetko
) for crimes committed during Operation Medak pocket
in 1993.
The indictment against Norac stated that as a result of the Croatian military operation, " ... the Medak Pocket became uninhabitable. The villages of the Pocket were completely destroyed, thereby depriving the Serbian civilian population of their homes and livelihood." He was accused of having "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", and of the "mutilation and desecration of the body of Boja Pjevać; the public killing of Boja Vujnović by burning her alive".
On 8 July 2004, Norac was transferred to an ICTY courtroom in The Hague
where he pleaded not guilty to all five charges brought against him. The judge ruled that he did not have to remain in the ICTY prison and could be returned to prison in Croatia. On 14 September 2005 the ICTY decided to transfer the Ademi-Norac case (Bobetko had died in the interim) to Croatian jurisdiction as the first ICTY case to be transferred to a local court. The trials of Norac and Ademi began at the Zagreb County Court in June 2007 and ended a year later on 30 May 2008. He was found guilty of failing to stop soldiers under his command from killing and torturing Serbs. He was sentenced to an additional 7 years imprisonment.
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
after he was transferred from The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
. He is serving a 12 year sentence for the Gospić massacre
Gospic massacre
The Gospić massacre took place between 16–18 October 1991 in the town of Gospić, a city in the district of Lika in Croatia. The massacre came three days after the massacre in the village of Široka Kula...
of ethnic Serb civilians for which, in May 2008, he was sentenced to an additional 7 years in prison for war crimes in the Operation Medak Pocket
Operation Medak Pocket
Operation Medak Pocket: Mid-September 1993 United Nations Protection Force and the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry advanced into the Medak Pocket, named after the village of Medak, in Southern Croatia, with orders to implement a ceasefire between the Croatian Army Troops...
.
Military service
Mirko Norac was born in the village of Otok, YugoslaviaOtok (Sinj)
Otok is a municipality and a village in inland Dalmatia, Croatia, located east of Sinj, approximately 7 kilometers away. Otok is bordered by the river Cetina and mountain Kamešnica. The population of Otok is 3,086, with a total of 5,468 in the municipality which includes four other villages and a...
, now part of the Republic of Croatia. He attended school in Sinj
Sinj
Sinj is a town in the continental part of Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia. The town itself has a population of 11,448, while the population of the administrative municipality which includes surrounding villages is 24,832 ....
.
Soon after the first multi-party elections in Croatia
Croatian parliamentary election, 1990
Parliamentary elections were held in Croatia on 22 April 1990, with a second round of voting on 6 May. The first free elections since multi-party politics were introduced, they resulted in a victory for the Croatian Democratic Union, which won 55 of the 80 seats...
in August 1990, Norac joined the Ministry of Interior. On 12 September 1990 he joined the Lučko Anti-Terrorist Unit, a unit of the Croatian police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
.
As a member of the Lučko Anti-Terrorist Unit, he took part in several early operations of the Croatian police forces including the Plitvice Lakes incident
Plitvice Lakes incident
The Plitvice Lakes incident of late March/early April 1991 was an incident at the beginning of the Croatian War of Independence...
.
Gospić Operations
In September 1991 Norac left the police force and moved to GospićGospic
Gospić is a town in the mountainous and sparsely populated region of Lika, Croatia. It is the administrative centre of Lika-Senj county. Gospić is located near the Lika River in the middle of a karst field....
where he took part in fighting against local Serbs and Yugoslav People's Army
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...
(JNA) units. The town was surrounded from 3 sides and there was a JNA barracks, the Stanko Opsenica (with around 70 officers and 200 soldiers, plus numerous Serbian paramilitaries) situated in it. After four days of siege, led by Norac, the JNA surrendered the barracks. In mid-September 1991 Norac was appointed commander of the 118th Brigade of the Croatian Army. One month later he took part in event known as the Gospić massacre
Gospic massacre
The Gospić massacre took place between 16–18 October 1991 in the town of Gospić, a city in the district of Lika in Croatia. The massacre came three days after the massacre in the village of Široka Kula...
when between 100-120 local Serbs were murdered by men under his command. Norac became the youngest colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
of the Croatian Army. He was also appointed commander of the 118th Brigade of the Croatian Army.
Maslenica and Medak
In November 1992 Norac was named the commander of the 6th Guards Brigade which was soon renamed to the 9th Guards Motorised Brigade. He took part in Operation MaslenicaOperation Maslenica
In early September, 1991, during the opening stages of the Croatian War of Independence, Serb-dominated units of the Knin Corps of the Yugoslav People's Army , under the command of Colonel Ratko Mladić and supported by the ethnic Serb Krajina militia, conducted offensive operations against areas...
in early 1993. He went on to command Operation Medak Pocket
Operation Medak Pocket
Operation Medak Pocket: Mid-September 1993 United Nations Protection Force and the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry advanced into the Medak Pocket, named after the village of Medak, in Southern Croatia, with orders to implement a ceasefire between the Croatian Army Troops...
, during which time war crimes against the local ethnic Serb population were committed. In the operation Norac was wounded in both hands and legs by an unexploded land mine
Land mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
. He spent a month in a Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
hospital, and then returned to Gospić. In 1994 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
and appointed commander of the Gospić Operational Zone. That same year he became the duke of Alkarsko društvo. The Mayor of Zagreb, Milan Bandić
Milan Bandic
Milan Bandić is an influential Croatian politician currently serving his fourth term as mayor of Croatia's capital, Zagreb. Between 2000 and 2009, he was a prominent member of the Social Democratic Party of Croatia . In 2007, he unsuccessfully ran for party president. However, he remained one of...
, and other top Croatian officials attended the event.
Operation Storm and after
Norac took part in Operation StormOperation Storm
Operation Storm is the code name given to a large-scale military operation carried out by Croatian Armed Forces, in conjunction with the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to gain back control of parts of Croatia which had been claimed by separatist ethnic Serbs, since early...
in August 1995 and on 25 September 1995 he was promoted to the rank of Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
. On 15 March 1996, Norac was appointed commander of the Knin
Knin
Knin is a historical town in the Šibenik-Knin county of Croatia, located near the source of the river Krka at , in the Dalmatian hinterland, on the railroad Zagreb–Split. Knin rose to prominence twice in history, as a one-time capital of both the Kingdom of Croatia and briefly of the...
Corps District.
The President of Croatia
President of Croatia
The President of Croatia , officially styled the President of the Republic represents the Republic of Croatia in the country and abroad as the head of state, maintains the regular and coordinated operation and stability of the national government system, and safeguards the independence and...
Stevo Mesić discharged Norac from the Croatian Army on 29 September 2000 after he signed the so-called Twelve Generals' Letter
Twelve Generals' Letter
The Twelve Generals' Letter was an open letter, signed by twelve generals of the Croatian Armed Forces, that criticized the government, politicians and media for perceived criminalization of the Croatian War of Independence and asserted that war veterans had suffered undignified treatment...
against what was claimed to be "criminalization" of the Croatian War of Independence
Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
.
Gospić killings
On 16 October 1991 Tihomir Orešković (Secretary of LikaLika
Lika is a mountainous region in central Croatia, roughly bound by the Velebit mountain from the southwest and the Plješevica mountain from the northeast. On the north-west end Lika is bounded by Ogulin-Plaški basin, and on the south-east by the Malovan pass...
Crisis Headquarters) called a meeting to organise the killing of ethnic Serb civilians in the area. During that meeting a list of Serbs to be executed was made. Norac reportedly attended the meeting, among a group of masked and unmasked soldiers and civil policemen, which later raided houses in Gospić and took custody of ethnic Serb civilians, informing them that they were to be interrogated. He organised and directed the executions of the civilians in a desolate area near the town. He executed one woman himself to incite the killing.
On 8 February 2001 an arrest warrant for Norac was issued by the Ministry of Interior, and Norac, then living in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, asked the Zagreb police if he could turn himself in at another location, Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
, to avoid the media. He was allowed to do so but used the opportunity to escape. Sixteen days later (on 22 February) he turned himself in, denying all charges. On 5 March 2001, an indictment against Norac, Tihomir Orešković, Stjepan Grandić, Ivica Rožić and Milan Canić was issued, accusing them of the murder of 50 civilians at Karlobag
Karlobag
Karlobag is a historic and picturesque seaside municipality on the Adriatic coast in Croatia, located underneath Velebit overlooking the island of Pag, west of Gospić and south of Senj. The Gacka river also runs through the area...
, Pazarište and Lipova glavica. According to some testimonies, the liquidation of Serbs came as revenge for the Široka Kula massacre
Široka Kula massacre
The Široka Kula massacre was committed by rebel Croatian Serb forces in the Croatian village of Široka Kula during the Croatian War of Independence beginning on 10 October 1991...
, committed by rebel Serbs a few days before.
The trial at Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
County Court lasted for 14 months and over 150 witnesses testified, including Croatian soldiers and civilians. On 24 March 2003, Norac was found guilty and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Orešković and Grandić were sentenced to 15 and 10 years and Rožić and Canić were acquitted of all charges due to lack of evidence. Norac is serving his sentence in Glina
Glina, Croatia
Glina is a small town in central Croatia, located southwest of Petrinja and Sisak in the Sisak-Moslavina county. It lies on the eponymous river of Glina.-History:...
, where he has was allowed, on at least one occasion, to go home for a weekend to visit family in Sinj.
Operation Medak Pocket
On 20 May 2004 the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) issued an indictment against Norac (and Rahim AdemiRahim Ademi
Rahim Ademi is a Croatian Army general of Kosovo-Albanian origin.Born and raised in the village of Karač, Vučitrn, SFR Yugoslavia, now found in Kosovo. Ademi finished the Yugoslav military academy in Belgrade in 1976...
and Janko Bobetko
Janko Bobetko
Janko Bobetko was a Croatian Army general and Chief of the General Staff during the Croatian War of Independence from 1992 until his retirement in 1995. Bobetko had been charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia but died before he could be tried...
) for crimes committed during Operation Medak pocket
Operation Medak Pocket
Operation Medak Pocket: Mid-September 1993 United Nations Protection Force and the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry advanced into the Medak Pocket, named after the village of Medak, in Southern Croatia, with orders to implement a ceasefire between the Croatian Army Troops...
in 1993.
The indictment against Norac stated that as a result of the Croatian military operation, " ... the Medak Pocket became uninhabitable. The villages of the Pocket were completely destroyed, thereby depriving the Serbian civilian population of their homes and livelihood." He was accused of having "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", and of the "mutilation and desecration of the body of Boja Pjevać; the public killing of Boja Vujnović by burning her alive".
On 8 July 2004, Norac was transferred to an ICTY courtroom in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
where he pleaded not guilty to all five charges brought against him. The judge ruled that he did not have to remain in the ICTY prison and could be returned to prison in Croatia. On 14 September 2005 the ICTY decided to transfer the Ademi-Norac case (Bobetko had died in the interim) to Croatian jurisdiction as the first ICTY case to be transferred to a local court. The trials of Norac and Ademi began at the Zagreb County Court in June 2007 and ended a year later on 30 May 2008. He was found guilty of failing to stop soldiers under his command from killing and torturing Serbs. He was sentenced to an additional 7 years imprisonment.