Banja Luka, Bosnia; 14 July 1997 (RFE/RL) - Bosnian Serb leaders have condemned today's jailing of Bosnian Serb Dusan Tadic by the U.N. war crimes tribunal as a political act.
Momcilo Krajisnik, Serb member of Bosnia's tripartite presidency, said the conviction was a political rather than legal judgement. Deputy Bosnian Serb Justice Minister Goran Neskovic said the ruling against Tadic was part of a propaganda war against Bosnian Serbs.
Tadic was jailed for 20 years by the U.N. court in the Hague for his part in the ethnic cleansing of Muslims and Croats in northern Bosnia at the start of the Bosnian war in 1992.
Tadic had been convicted on May 7 of war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with atrocities, including beatings and two murders of muslims at Bosnian serb-run detention camps in the Prijedor region of northwest Bosnia. Tadic denies the charges and his lawyers have lodged an appeal against the guilty verdict.
Momcilo Krajisnik, Serb member of Bosnia's tripartite presidency, said the conviction was a political rather than legal judgement. Deputy Bosnian Serb Justice Minister Goran Neskovic said the ruling against Tadic was part of a propaganda war against Bosnian Serbs.
Tadic was jailed for 20 years by the U.N. court in the Hague for his part in the ethnic cleansing of Muslims and Croats in northern Bosnia at the start of the Bosnian war in 1992.
Tadic had been convicted on May 7 of war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with atrocities, including beatings and two murders of muslims at Bosnian serb-run detention camps in the Prijedor region of northwest Bosnia. Tadic denies the charges and his lawyers have lodged an appeal against the guilty verdict.