Hague

By Dubravka Savic

The Council of the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia in the Hague is to announce today the first sentences for the crimes committed over Serbs in Bosnia. They will be announced for the crimes committed in the period from spring through autumn 1992 by three Bosnian Muslims Zejnili Delaic, Hazim Delic and Esad Landzo and Croat Zdravko Mucic.

The indictment charges the four accused for the genocide which is the gravest possible indictment in the Hague Tribunal. They are also charged for the infringement of the Geneva Convention from 1949. The accused are also charged with the crimes against humanity and codes of war. The indictment includes murders, rape and grave forms of violence.

There were 500 Serbs in the Celebici camp. In this particular case, the indictment covers 14 murders and 16 tortures. Only Landzo partially admitted guilt.

The prosecution requested life sentences for Delic and Landzo. The witnesses testified they had severely tortured and raped prisoners. The prosecution requested 15 years for Mucic and 10 for Delaic.