The Podgorica High Court on Saturday found six Montenegrins, members of the former Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), guilty of war crimes against Croatian civilians and prisoners of war from the Dubrovnik region at the Morinj camp in Montenegro during the 1990s war in Croatia, Podgorica media reported.
The six defendants -- Mladjen Govedarica, Boro Gligic, Zlatko Tarle, Spiro Lucic, Ivo Menzalin and Ivo Gojnic -- were found guilty of torture, inhumane treatment of and infliction of bodily harm on 169 POWs and civilians, according to the decision of a trial chamber, presided by judge Milenka Zizic.
Ivan Menzalin, who was the cook in the Morinj camp, was sentenced to four years in jail. He is the only one of the six defendants still at large, so the court ordered his arrest.
Spiro Lucic was sentenced to three and a half years, Boro Gligic to three years, Ivo Gojinic to two and a half years, Mladen Govedjarica to two years and Zlatko Tarle to a year and a half in prison.
The defendants pleaded not guilty and their attorneys said they would appeal, adding that the verdicts was political.
Around 300 prisoners passed through Morinj, near the coastal town of Kotor. Three inmates died there and 56 died subsequently from the consequences of the beatings and psychological terror, one of the witnesses said during the main hearing.
The indictment was issued after the Croatian Justice Ministry sent documents about the Morinj camp case to the High Court in Podgorica.
