BOSNIAN SERB GRANTED EARLY RELEASE BY ICTY

THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Jan 22(Hina) - After serving two thirds of his sentence, Bosnian Serb Simo Zaric, who got a six-year term, has been granted early release by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the ICTY said in a press release it issued on its web site on Thursday.#L# "On 21 January 2004, the President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Judge Theodor Meron, granted Simo Zaric?s request for early release, effective 28 January 2004," it read. "Simo Zaric was found guilty by virtue of his individual criminal responsibility on one count of crimes against humanity (persecutions) and sentenced to six years' imprisonment." it added. He was sentenced to six years in prison last October. Zaric was tried, together with Blagoje Simic and Miroslav Tadic, for war crimes they had committed against local Bosniaks (Muslims) and Croats in the town of Bosnian Samac in 1992. "In reaching his decision, the President (Meron) considered a number of different factors. These included the fact that Zaric?s application is receivable because he has served over two-thirds of his sentence," as well as "Zaric?s resolve to be reintegrated into society, his good behaviour in detention, his attachment to his family", the press release read. At the moment, 13 persons convicted by the ICTY are serving sentences in countries with which the ICTY has agreements on the enforcement of sentences. (Hina) ms sb