DATE=1/14/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=BOSNIA WAR CRIMES (L)
NUMBER=2-258072
BYLINE=RON PEMSTEIN
DATELINE=BRUSSELS
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: The international war crimes tribunal for the
former Yugoslavia has judged five Bosnian Croats
guilty of crimes against humanity for the massacre of
Muslims in Central Bosnia in 1993. V-O-A
correspondent Ron Pemstein reports from Brussels on
the verdict and the crime.
TEXT: In its strongest verdict yet against ethnic
cleansing, the war crimes tribunal has punished five
Bosnian Croats for the massacre at the village of
Ahmici in April 1993. The presiding judge, Antonio
Cassesse, says what happened there is one of the most
vicious illustrations of man's inhumanity to man.
The longest sentence was given to Vladimir Santic, the
commander of a police battalion in the Ahmici region.
He was given 25 years in prison for crimes against
humanity for ordering the massacre of 116 Muslims. In
the sweep of the Croatian Defense Force (HVO) through
Ahmici, two mosques and 169 houses were burned down.
No houses belonging to Bosnian Croats were damaged in
the attack.
Another man under his command, Drago Josipovic,
received a sentence of 15 years in prison. He was
convicted of killing a Muslim man. Zoran Kupreskic
was given 10 years in prison for his involvement. His
brother, Mirjan, received eight years and their
cousin, Vlatko, six years in prison. A sixth
defendant, Dragan Papic, was set free. The judge said
the prosecution's evidence could not prove Mr. Papic's
guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
There is no doubt about the crime committed in Ahmici.
Entire families were gunned down by their former
neighbors. The indictment charged the Bosnian Croats
with conducting a highly coordinated military
operation to empty the area in Central Bosnia of
Muslims.
A verdict is expected shortly in the trial of General
Tihomir Blaskic, the Croatian army commander of the
region. His trial concluded last July. More than 30
suspects in the attack are still at large. /// Opt
/// Judge Cassesse says Ahmici will take its name
alongside Dachau and My Lai on the list of hamlets and
towns that make us shudder with horror and shame. ///
End Opt ///
The War Crimes prosecutor says the verdict against the
five Bosnian Croats will become a benchmark for future
cases of ethnic cleansing that will be brought before
the Hague tribunal. Lawyers for the five convicted
men say they will appeal. (Signed)
NEB/RP/GE/JP
14-Jan-2000 11:00 AM EDT (14-Jan-2000 1600 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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