THE HAGUE, Feb 26 (Hina) - The Hague-based war crimes tribunal on Monday sentenced the former deputy president of the Croat Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia Dario Kordic to 25 years, and the former commander of the Vitez Brigade, Mario
Cerkez, to 15 years in prison for the persecution of Moslems in Central Bosnia which, according to the trial chamber, took on the most extreme proportions through attacks on civilian targets, killings and plundering.
THE HAGUE, Feb 26 (Hina) - The Hague-based war crimes tribunal on
Monday sentenced the former deputy president of the Croat Republic
of Herzeg-Bosnia Dario Kordic to 25 years, and the former commander
of the Vitez Brigade, Mario Cerkez, to 15 years in prison for the
persecution of Moslems in Central Bosnia which, according to the
trial chamber, took on the most extreme proportions through attacks
on civilian targets, killings and plundering. #L#
"You joined the (persecution) campaign enthusiastically and played
an instrumental part in the Lasva Valley offensives in April 1993,"
particularly in ordering the attack on Ahmici and other villages in
April 1993, British Judge Richard May said in his judgement.
The trial chamber did not find sufficient evidence to support the
idea that Kordic belonged to the top echelons of Bosnian Croat
authorities, was thus "not to be sentenced as an architect of the
persecution or prime mover in it," May said.
"The fact that you were a politician and took no part in the actual
execution of the crimes makes no difference. You played your part as
surely as the men who fired the guns. Indeed, the fact you were a
leader aggravates the offences," the judgement read.
The tribunal also dismissed the prosecution's theses on Kordic's
command liability, his responsibility for punishing the
perpetrators of crimes, or for preventing crime, asserting they
were not proven.
Addressing Mario Cerkez, Judge May said he led the Vitez brigade as
its commander in attacks which resulted in the death of civilians
and destruction.
The trial chamber concluded the Vitez brigade was not involved in
the attacks on Ahmici (in Central Bosnia) and unequivocally accused
the Military Police 4th Brigade of the attacks. However, Cerkes was
proved to have been responsible for attacks on Vitez, Stari Vitez
and Donja Veceriska.
You played your part in the persecution, Judge May told Cerkez.
The two Bosnian Croats listened to the passing of the judgement with
peaceful expressions.
With the judgement on Monday, the trial chamber confirmed previous
judgements that the persecution of Central Bosnia Moslems did
happen.
The trial chamber has found immeasurable evidence that a
persecution campaign existed against Bosnian Moslems in Central
Bosnia during the period covered by the indictment. It took on the
most extreme proportions, including attacks on towns and villages
with destruction, plundering, killing, injuring and imprisoning,
May said.
Crimes of this level of barbarism cannot be any graver and those
participating in them have to expect punishments which correlate in
extent to the horror the international community feels towards
them, the judge said.
Besides family and friends of the defendants, the passing of
judgement was attended by American lawyers who this year ceased to
represent Kordic before the tribunal after being unpaid for several
months running.
The judgement to the two Bosnian Croats was passed almost a year
after a 45-year imprisonment sentence was read to former commander
of the Central Bosnia Operations Zone, Tihomir Blaskic, also
accused of involvement in the Ahmici case. A group of Bosnian
Croats, who sat trial together in the "Kupreskic" case got six to 25
years in prison for the Ahmici crime.
The trial chamber asserted the involvement of the Republic of
Croatia in the conflict in the neighbouring Bosnia-Herzegovina was
proven. It also said persecution by hate through media was not
proven.
Prosecutors of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia (ICTY) two months ago requested life imprisonment for
Kordic, 40, and Cerkez, 41, indicted of the systematic persecution
of Moslems during the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The gravest crime they have been found of is their responsibility
for the killing of over a hundred Moslem civilians in the village of
Ahmici (central Bosnia) in 1993.
Both Kordic and Cerkes were accused of having individual as well as
commanding liability in crimes against humanity, grave breeches of
the Geneva conventions and of rights and customs of war.
The two surrendered to the ICTY on their own free will, together
with eight other Bosnian Croats, on October 6, 1997. Their time in
detention will be calculated into their sentences.
(hina) lml