In the west a large sum of money is needed when a man is on trial. If each of the 40,000 to 50, 000 whom he helped were to pledge five Euros each for his defence he would be released from prison and a hundred Serbs would not be face extradition.
Steve Plater, is an American from Saint Louis and a friend of Dragan Vasiljkovic, known as Kapetan Dragan from the days of the war. Mr Plater met Vasiljkovic in 1992 in the Region of Kninska Krajina, where he was filming a documentary. They formed a friendship then and still remain friends today. The American, as Vasiljkovic says sent the first 40 donations when he started his fund. Mr Plater not so long ago lived in Belgrade and is active in the defence of Kapetan Dragan in the Austrailian Courts, where he is held on an extradition demand from Croatia.
What are your reasons for defending Kapetan Dragan?
We are good friends and have been for 15 years. I was in Southern America when I heard that he had been arrested. I could not believe that, as I know him well and I know that he has done nothing wrong that warrants a trial. It took me a full four months to be able to make contact with him and then I went to visit him in the Australian prison. To date I have travelled three times to Australia and have visited Dragan twelve times. It is a difficult but I want to help. Dragan is a person that I know very well and I am certain that he has not committed even one of the war crimes and he would never have allowed a single one of his men to do something like that. If I had even one small doubt I would not be doing this, but there is no doubt.
You visited Dragan in prison, How was he feeling?
He has been in prison for 17 months. Sometimes he feels as though people have forgotten him. There is a large support from the Serbian society in Australia because his situation doesn’t just reflect on him, but on them and their children who are in the Australian Military. If Dragan is extradited to Croatia, does that mean that in ten years or so, some other country is going to ask for extradition of their children? Does that mean that in 10 to 15 years the future government of Iraq may seek extradition of the American Soldiers serving there today? The problem with what is happening is that one nation wants revenge at the expense of Dragan.

Does Kapetan Dragan have any problems in prison, assuming that there are prisoners of Croatian descent?
The prison authorities have placed Dragan in a section of the prison for maximum security. In Australia, if you are have not been found guilty of any criminal act, then you are placed in a lower security unit, but not him. Dragan is in the maximum security unit for those same reasons you asked and also because he has been portrayed badly in the media.
In what way can we help him?
The people here probably do not realise, but I do, just how hard life is in Serbia, that it is very difficult to collect resources. Many people, and I know this from incidences in the USA where monies have gone missing and they simply say “Okay, get rid of me” I would not want this to happen to Dragan. In the west a large amount of money is needed when a man is on trial. Australia hypothetically use the Anglo-Saxon correct system and in every Country where he is recognised, hopefully Kapetan Dragan’s circumstances can be a precedent that will govern the outcome of other similar situations. And in reality that is the most important for Dragan’s situation. He never had the premiss of “I came to Krajina to become a Major Commander” He went to Krajina to provide uniforms for the soldiers and then he realised that he could do more, and he went wherever he was needed. When he set up his Fund after the war, he helped thousands of people. When every one of those 40 to 50 thousand people whom he helped pledged just 5 Euros each for his defence he would be released from prison and hundreds of Serbs, grateful to the precedent set would not face extraction themselves. This is not just about one man.
Would the fortunate outcome of Spanovic, where the British court ruled not to extradite him, because in Croatia he would not get a fair trial, help Dragan?
Spanovic has one more court hearing that he has to attend, because the Croatian side has entered another plea. However if this reaches the same conclusion, it would be immense help, but in our system this could take years. Every precedence is able to be of help, but I am not sure if the Australian justice will take that into account as relevant. Generally speaking I believe that Dragan can win his case and his Lawyers believe that too. But for that we need time, maybe even a year because there is a possibility that Dragan may yet again have a chance at the High Courts.

Kapetan Dragan was at the Hague, as a witness, but they never wanted him as a guilty man?
No only as that. They said that there was not one piece of evidence that he was ever a war criminal, and there was no interest in him. But that has not helped him in Australia, as because there it was seen as an extradition order against him, but that was not his fault. If Canada had wanted him then they would have had to show evidence, if the USA, England or France had wanted him then they too would have had to show evidence. Because Croatia has signed an extradition agreement with Australia, they do not have to show evidence. Because of this the Lawyers are challenging the Extradition agreement. There are other acts that protect war criminals, such as the Geneva Convention and then there’s the Hague Tribunal. Australia has signed these International agreements and in accordance with them then each Country is bound to show evidence in order for an extradition. Many forget that a number of Serbs, 16 or 17 have been extraditions orders to Croatia. A number have been tried in their absence. For Dragan it is only a matter of time, Croatia has not petitioned for his extradition as a war criminal but for questioning over war crimes. If they had enough evidence, I am sure that he would have already been tried in his absence too. This is the only way that they have to get to him and if they do not manage too, then there remains no reason for any others to be extradited.
If, he is extradited to Croatia, how will you feel?
I am very worried, not just because he is my friend. Here, I know that I don’t have to explain how the Croatians feel about Kapetan Dragan. A large number of prisoners there are not as important as him, and because of this there is a well founded fear for his safety. Honestly I do not believe he will be alive for very long if he were to be extradited to Croatia.
Are you in contact with the Serbin Community of the USA?
A little while ago a young gentleman in Chicago had organised collecting funds to help Kapetan Dragan, and he has sent those few thousand dollars to the Serbian Community in Australia.
America is a very large Country and there are a large number of Serbs living there with Serbian organisations, clubs, churches, and there are a number of Serbs on the extradition list . Lawyers are expensive and the Serbs in America have having to fight those causes for justice, and because of this they cannot help Dragan’s Cause.

However there are a number of people who are helping