Belgrade court reschedules hearing in Croatian pilots’ trial

Defense lawyer Aleksandar Olenik said the hearing was immediately postponed for November without the court ruling on any filings.

Serbian prosecutors indicted four Croatian military pilots for the bombing. The court proceedings are going ahead in absentia. The court confirmed the indictment late in August but a formal decision on the trial has not been taken yet.

Speaking before Friday’s hearing, Olenik said he expected rulings on technical issues, including evidence presentation.
The Serbian authorities sent the Croatian Justice Ministry a request three weeks ago asking it to deliver subpoenas to the four pilots. The subpoenas were not delivered because Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic’s government is opposed to the proceedings.
Olenik said it was unusual that the prosecution did not try to subpoena the pilots itself.