Croatian War Crimes Witness Murdered

[Owen Jones <owen_jones@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

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Croatian war crimes witness killed

Human rights workers in Croatia have criticised the government after the
killing of a former soldier who volunteered to give war crimes evidence
against fellow-Croats.

The man, Milan Levar, died in a bomb blast at his home in Gospic on Monday.

A leading human rights worker the head of the Croatian Helsinki Commission,
Zarko Puhovski said the government and the international war crimes
tribunal should have given him better protection.

He described the killing as a ringing message to other people expected to
testify about war crimes and a significant blow to law, order and justice in
Croatia.

Mr Levar aroused hostility in country after he told war crimes investigators
about massacres of Serbs by Croats after Croatia declared independence from
Yugoslavia.

>From the newsroom of the BBC World Service