ZAGREB, Croatia, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Croatia arrested a former military leader accused of early 1990s war crimes Friday, Amnesty International reported, saying it was a "welcome development."
Tomislav Mercep, who was named in an Amnesty International report titled "Behind a Wall of Silence: Prosecution of War Crimes in Croatia," was arrested in Zagreb at the request of prosecutors.
Mercep is accused of ordering units under his command to kill and torture Serbian civilians and steal their property. The allegations were never fully investigated during the past 15 years.
"The arrest of Tomislav Mercep is a welcome development. Investigations into those alleged to have been involved in war crimes has been slow in coming," said Nicola Duckworth of Amnesty International.
An Amnesty delegation was in Zagreb to present the report to Croatian leaders.
