Friday, March 25, 2016

U.N. Tribunal Convicts Former Serb Leader of Genocide

The United Nations Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in a press release yesterday announced the highest level conviction yet in the ethnic cleansing of Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats from territory claimed by Bosnian Serbs in the 1990's:
Trial Chamber III of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) today convicted Radovan Karadžić, former President of Republika Srpska (RS) and Supreme Commander of its armed forces, of genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war committed by Serb forces during the armed conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), from 1992 until 1995. He was sentenced to 40 years’ imprisonment.
Karadžić was convicted of genocide in the area of Srebrenica in 1995, of persecution, extermination, murder, deportation, inhumane acts (forcible transfer), terror, unlawful attacks on civilians and hostage-taking. He was acquitted of the charge of genocide in other municipalities in BiH in 1992.
The Office of the Prosecutor issued a statement welcoming the convictions. New York Times reports on the conviction.