SARAJEVO -- A court in Bosnia-Herzegovina has given a 45-year prison sentence to a former member of the Bosnian Serb paramilitary forces known as the "Monster of Grbavica."
Veselin Vlahovic, nicknamed "Batko," was notorious for his cruelty while carrying out attacks against non-Serb residents of Sarajevo during the 1992-1995 Balkan conflict.
He was found guilty of 31 murders, the rapes of at least 13 women, and the illegal imprisonment, torture, and robbery of dozens of civilians in Serb-occupied areas of the Bosnian capital.
Vlahovic managed to escape from pretrial detention in Montenegro in 2001.
He was arrested in Spain in 2010 and later extradited to Bosnia.
Vlahovic’s sentence is the most severe that has been meted out for war crimes by a Bosnian court.
Veselin Vlahovic, nicknamed "Batko," was notorious for his cruelty while carrying out attacks against non-Serb residents of Sarajevo during the 1992-1995 Balkan conflict.
He was found guilty of 31 murders, the rapes of at least 13 women, and the illegal imprisonment, torture, and robbery of dozens of civilians in Serb-occupied areas of the Bosnian capital.
Vlahovic managed to escape from pretrial detention in Montenegro in 2001.
He was arrested in Spain in 2010 and later extradited to Bosnia.
Vlahovic’s sentence is the most severe that has been meted out for war crimes by a Bosnian court.
