Hague Tribunal convicts three

The Hague - The Yugoslavia war crimes tribunal yesterday convicted two Bosnian Muslims and a Bosnian Croat of atrocities against…

The Hague - The Yugoslavia war crimes tribunal yesterday convicted two Bosnian Muslims and a Bosnian Croat of atrocities against Serbs but unexpectedly acquitted a Bosnian Muslim army commander.

The UN court ruled that the commander, Mr Zajnil Delalic, charged with bearing responsibility for atrocities at the Celebici prison camp, did not have "command and control" over camp guards. Prosecutors, who had demanded a 10-year sentence for Mr Delalic, said they would appeal.

Two fellow Bosnian Muslims, Hazim Delic and Esad Landzo, are to serve 20 years and 15 years respectively for their roles in perpetuating a regime of terror at the Celebici camp in central Bosnia in 1992. A Bosnian Croat camp commander, Zdravko Mucic, will serve seven years.

The 22-month-long Celebici case was the first to tackle command responsibility and the first to deal with reports of atrocities against Serbs.