The HDZ B-H described the sentence as "unjust, monstrous and scandalous," stressing that it was "a rigged, politically motivated trial".
The party said that the sentence "sends more than a clear message to the Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina" and added that the court delivered the sentence without proving a single charge from the indictment.
The HDZ B-H wants charges to be brought against "everyone who participated in the illegal arrest of Ante Jelavic (in January 2004), the lynching campaign in the media, false and uncorroborated testimonies given in this legal farce that is humiliating and offensive to any citizen, in particular the Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina."
Jelavic has the right to appeal.