Dragan Vasiljković: Difference between revisions
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{{dated prod|concern = {{{concern|The article contains considerable content which does not meet Wikipedia standards and needs to be largely re-written or removed. The tone of the article conveys personal sympathies for a man against whom very serious war crimes allegations have been made: |
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"What makes Dragans case interesting is that even though he has been an Australian citizen for over 30 years, no evidence of the allegations against him was required by the Australian government. If it was the USA, Canada or the UK requesting his extradition, an evidence case is mandatory" |
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Not enough references have been cited for an article of this size and many comments are not verifiable, such as: |
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"The Serbian people believe that if Dragan is sent to Croatia he does not stand a chance of getting a fair trial because of his status" |
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"He is considered a hero by the Serbs for saving the lives of Serbs in Croatia."}}}|month = August|day = 15|year = 2007|time = 07:07|timestamp = 20070815070754}} |
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'''Dragan Vasiljković''',known in Australia as Daniel Snedden, nicknamed Kapetan Dragan, was a founder and captain of the Serbian [[paramilitary]] unit called Knindže, and more recently was a golf instructor in [[Australia]]. He is wanted for questioning concerning alleged war crimes by the [[Republic of Croatia]], and has currently been held in an Australian prison for over one and a half years with convicted prisoners, yet he himself has not been charged. What makes Dragans case interesting is that even though he has been an Australian citizen for over 30 years, no evidence of the allegations against him was required by the Australian government. If it was the USA, Canada or the UK requesting his extradition, an evidence case is mandatory. Dragan is revered by the Serbian people because after his role in the war, he used his fame to set up a humanitarian foundation that provided aid and relief to 67,000 victims of war. 14,000 children received food, shelter and education from the Foundation Kapetan Dragan. The Serbian people believe that if Dragan is sent to Croatia he does not stand a chance of getting a fair trial because of his status. They are petitioning for him to face the War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague if he must face trial. However, they also claim that he has already faced 18 hours of questioning at the War Crimes Tribunal and even rejected an offer of immunity for anything that he might have done. He was released and not one of his men were indicted. Therefore, the Serbian community believe that the accusations against Dragan are unfounded and are just a means to get him into Croatia. They are also surprised that Dragan (AKA Daniel Snedden) has not received the public support that David Hicks has. UPDATE*** In July 2007 Dragan was able to commence the defamation proceedings against Nationwide news. The court found that six out of eight of the statements against Dragan were libellous and defamatory.The proceedings are stood over in the Supreme Court of New South Wales until 27th July 2007. |
'''Dragan Vasiljković''',known in Australia as Daniel Snedden, nicknamed Kapetan Dragan, was a founder and captain of the Serbian [[paramilitary]] unit called Knindže, and more recently was a golf instructor in [[Australia]]. He is wanted for questioning concerning alleged war crimes by the [[Republic of Croatia]], and has currently been held in an Australian prison for over one and a half years with convicted prisoners, yet he himself has not been charged. What makes Dragans case interesting is that even though he has been an Australian citizen for over 30 years, no evidence of the allegations against him was required by the Australian government. If it was the USA, Canada or the UK requesting his extradition, an evidence case is mandatory. Dragan is revered by the Serbian people because after his role in the war, he used his fame to set up a humanitarian foundation that provided aid and relief to 67,000 victims of war. 14,000 children received food, shelter and education from the Foundation Kapetan Dragan. The Serbian people believe that if Dragan is sent to Croatia he does not stand a chance of getting a fair trial because of his status. They are petitioning for him to face the War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague if he must face trial. However, they also claim that he has already faced 18 hours of questioning at the War Crimes Tribunal and even rejected an offer of immunity for anything that he might have done. He was released and not one of his men were indicted. Therefore, the Serbian community believe that the accusations against Dragan are unfounded and are just a means to get him into Croatia. They are also surprised that Dragan (AKA Daniel Snedden) has not received the public support that David Hicks has. UPDATE*** In July 2007 Dragan was able to commence the defamation proceedings against Nationwide news. The court found that six out of eight of the statements against Dragan were libellous and defamatory.The proceedings are stood over in the Supreme Court of New South Wales until 27th July 2007. |
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Revision as of 07:07, 15 August 2007
This article may have been previously nominated for deletion: Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Dragan Vasiljković exists. It is proposed that this article be deleted because of the following concern:
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"What makes Dragans case interesting is that even though he has been an Australian citizen for over 30 years, no evidence of the allegations against him was required by the Australian government. If it was the USA, Canada or the UK requesting his extradition, an evidence case is mandatory"
Not enough references have been cited for an article of this size and many comments are not verifiable, such as:
"The Serbian people believe that if Dragan is sent to Croatia he does not stand a chance of getting a fair trial because of his status"
"He is considered a hero by the Serbs for saving the lives of Serbs in Croatia."}} ~~~~Timestamp: 20070815070754 07:07, 15 August 2007 (UTC) Administrators: delete |
Dragan Vasiljković,known in Australia as Daniel Snedden, nicknamed Kapetan Dragan, was a founder and captain of the Serbian paramilitary unit called Knindže, and more recently was a golf instructor in Australia. He is wanted for questioning concerning alleged war crimes by the Republic of Croatia, and has currently been held in an Australian prison for over one and a half years with convicted prisoners, yet he himself has not been charged. What makes Dragans case interesting is that even though he has been an Australian citizen for over 30 years, no evidence of the allegations against him was required by the Australian government. If it was the USA, Canada or the UK requesting his extradition, an evidence case is mandatory. Dragan is revered by the Serbian people because after his role in the war, he used his fame to set up a humanitarian foundation that provided aid and relief to 67,000 victims of war. 14,000 children received food, shelter and education from the Foundation Kapetan Dragan. The Serbian people believe that if Dragan is sent to Croatia he does not stand a chance of getting a fair trial because of his status. They are petitioning for him to face the War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague if he must face trial. However, they also claim that he has already faced 18 hours of questioning at the War Crimes Tribunal and even rejected an offer of immunity for anything that he might have done. He was released and not one of his men were indicted. Therefore, the Serbian community believe that the accusations against Dragan are unfounded and are just a means to get him into Croatia. They are also surprised that Dragan (AKA Daniel Snedden) has not received the public support that David Hicks has. UPDATE*** In July 2007 Dragan was able to commence the defamation proceedings against Nationwide news. The court found that six out of eight of the statements against Dragan were libellous and defamatory.The proceedings are stood over in the Supreme Court of New South Wales until 27th July 2007.
Biography
Dragan Vasiljković was born December 12, 1954 in a Serbian Orthodox family in Belgrade. His father Zivorad died in a motorcycle accident while Dragan was still young. At the age of 3, he was briefly placed in foster home Dragutin Filipović Jusa because his mother could not raise three children on her own.
In 1967 he went to Australia with his mother and two siblings under the name Daniel Snedden. After he finished high school in Melbourne he worked in a photo shop. He spent 4 years in the Australian Army's reserve unit 4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse. After his military service, he served as a weapons instructor in Africa and South America. He was sailing around the world and stayed in Serbia in 1988 where he set up a boat and airplane charter business.
In 1991, war broke out and he believed that his army reserves training that he received in Australia could help improve the Serbian army. He served during the Croatian war of independence to the newly-created Republic of Serbian Krajina as a volunteer where he founded the special forces under the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Serbian Krajina. These special unit were called Knindže after the Krajina's capital of Knin and ninja fighters. The forces were highly disciplined and won a number of successful commando actions against Croatian paramilitaries. Dragan was well known for expecting his soldiers to dress and behave orderly, like gentlemen. During the war, he founded the Fond Kapetan Dragan aimed at helping victims of war. The foundation was the largest in the history of the Balkans, 67,000 victims of war received aid. In 1995 "Krajina" ceased to exist when Croatian forces took over the Serbian area during Operation Storm. After the defeat, Vasiljković returned to Perth, Western Australia.
He was also a presidential candidate of Serbia in 1991, flew a single engine aircraft PA32 (N3507W) across the Atlantic in 1990, sailed around the world (SY THYNDERCHILD - cutter rig) and is a golfer single figure handicap. Dragan also helped with securing the Radio station Studio B and B92 in Belgrade during popular uprising against Slobodan Milošević. Dragan was teaching golf in Perth when the Australian Newspaper printed a front page article saying that a war criminal was living in Perth and teaching golf. Dragan lodged a public defamation case against Nationwide News for the article which was to commence in the first week of February 2006. Dragan was unexpectedly arrested on the basis of a Croatian warrant on 19th January and has been in prison since.
Alleged war crimes
He is accused by the Republic of Croatia of being responsible for soldiers under his command allegedly torturing, beating and killing captured members of Croatian Army and Police between June and July 1991 in a prison on the fortress in Knin, and also for making plans to attack and take over the Glina Police station, a near city village Jukince and the villages Gornji i Donji Viduševac in February 1993 at Benkovac (in agreement with the commander of the tank unit JNA). It is alleged during that attack, against the requirements of the Geneva convention, civil buildings were damaged and ruined, Croatian citizens were forced to escape, their property was robbed and civilians (among them was a foreign journalist) were wounded and killed. Those accusations were made public after the newspaper The Australian reported a story about him and he sued the Australian for defamation. He is considered a hero by the Serbs for saving the lives of Serbs in Croatia. The allegations came about at about the time that General Gotavina of Croatia was captured.
Intrestingly enough, the ICTY Hague Tribunal named Vasiljković as a "participant in a joint criminal enterprise" against Croats and other non-Serbs in the Martic decision, but did not request his arrest. He gave evidence against Slobodan Milosevic at the Hague without immunity. All of the others named are either already on trial at the Hague or at large.[1]
In a statement written in December last year in Sydney's Parklea jail, Mr Vasiljkovic said he could never receive a fair trial in Croatia. Mr Vasiljkovic wrote that his prosecution is in retaliation for the prosecution of Croatian military Commander Ante Gotovina by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. "I believe that the purpose of my surrender is to persecute me politically and use as a propaganda trophy against the Serbian people and as political revenge for Gotovina," he wrote.
A witness in the Local Court Judge Strbac indicated he would travel to Croatia to give evidence in favour of Vasiljkovic. This is now unlikely as Croatia has now listed Judge Strbac as a War Criminal.
Serbs for Justice and Democracy president George Bubalo said the man known as Captain Dragan is innocent and noted the International Criminal Court in The Hague had not pursued him. Mr Bubalo said "If there is something to prove he did something wrong, take him to The Hague, let him face the music", "It's interesting The Hague doesn't want him, or the organisation set up to look at war crimes in Croatia (the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia)".
Trial
In December 2006, Vasiljković's bid to prevent his extradition hearing from going ahead was crushed by the Sydney magistrate's court. He claims that he will be murdered if he is sent to Croatia, saying he is a "sworn political enemy of the HDZ." Already in June 2006, the High Court dismissed an application seeking to declare the Extradition Act and Regulations with its "no evidence" model invalid.The High Court has now remitted the case to the Federal Court of Australia to determine whether or not he is protected by International Law. The Federal Court will also review the Local Court determination that he will receive a fair trial in Croatia. The case is next before Justice Cowdroy in August. Vasiljković has been in custody since January 2006.
On April 12, 2007, authorities in Sydney granted Croatia's extradition request, and Vasiljković is being held pending the appeal at Parklea Prison in its maximum security section. As a war criminal he is in a cell by himself but has been given a musical instrument (a guitar) and is now allowed to have a pen and paper. He wishes to enroll on the electoral roll as he is an Australian citizen but as yet he has been unable to do so. He is also prevented from speaking to members of the press.
References
External links
- [1]- Information and articles about him, in Croatian.
- [2]- Dragan Vasiljković's own page, in Serbian.
- Accused war criminal loses extradition fight
- Croatia will murder me, says Captain Dragan
- - Part 3. Dragan offers free computer training. English subtitles
- - Part 2 of footage. FKD provides aid and relief to 67,000 victims of war - English subtitles
- - Part 1 of footage. Dragans Foundation allows paraplegic victims of war to live a normal life - English subtitles
- [3]-Concise biography of Dragan in English, written by Dragan from prison with help from the chaplain. 2MB PDF File.