BLASKIC'S DEFENCE ATTORNEYS DISSATISFIED WITH SENTENCE

ZAGREB, March 3 (Hina) - Defence council of General Tihomir Blaskic on Friday announced an appeal against the decision of the first instance trial chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) by which their defendant was found guilty and sentenced to 45 years in prison for crimes committed during the Croat-Moslem conflicts in Bosnia's Lasva valley. "With all due respect for the chamber's decision which they made on their own conscience and the best they could, I do believe the key issue of Blaskic's commanding any crime was not proven," Blaskic's attorney Anto Nobilo said. "The court simply took the hardest form. Blaskic was commander, crimes happened there and the defence did not for one moment dispute this. The court even took it as a formality that he was a military and civilian commander, as they equalised the civilian and military component of the HVO (Croatian Defence Council), which is absolutely in contrast to everything that happened and documents presented in court". "I believe this sentence with its content and punishment is in contrast to what took place during the main discussion," Nobilo said. "The logic the tribunal uses is completely legally unacceptable to me," Nobilo said, adding that a command for an offensive did not mean it was a command for a crime. We are disappointed. They seem to have dismissed all arguments, but there is a chamber of appeals which, I hope, will have a different view, defence attorney Russel Hayman said. (hina) lml mm