Bosnian-Croat war crimes convict dies after taking "poison" in court: TV

By Stephanie van den Berg and Bart H. Meijer

 

A wartime commander of Bosnian Croat forces, Slobodan Praljak, is seen during a hearing at the U.N. war crimes tribunal in the Hague, Netherlands, November 29, 2017. ICTV via REUTERS TV

 

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - A Bosnian Croat wartime commander died after swallowing what he said was poison in a U.N. war crimes courtroom on Wednesday after losing an appeal against a 20-year prison sentence, Croatian state TV said.

 

Slobodan Praljak, 72, died in hospital in the Hague after he was seen drinking from a flask or glass as a U.N. judge read out the ruling against him and five other suspects, state TV reported, citing unnamed sources.

 

The apparent courtroom suicide, which was broadcast on a video feed, came in the final minutes of the last judgement at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), which closes next month.

 

"I just drank poison," he said. "I am not a war criminal. I oppose this conviction."

 

After gulping down the drink, Praljak sat back down and slumped in his chair, a lawyer who was in the courtroom at the time said.

U.N. court representatives and Dutch hospital officials declined to comment on his condition.

 

Croatian General Marinko Kresic, speaking earlier on Croatian TV, said he had spoken to the wife of another defendant, Milivoje Petkovic, who was in The Hague. "She confirmed that he drank the poison and that he is in a very grave health condition," he said.

 

The presiding Judge Carmel Agius suspended the hearings and paramedics raced to the courtroom, which was declared a crime scene by Dutch authorities. As forensic investigation got underway, the courtroom was sealed off, and the public was instructed to leave.

 

"Don't take away the glass," Agius said, instructing the guards to lower blinds and block a glass-partition separating the court from the public.

 

In the chaotic moments that followed, guards and paramedics raced in and out of the courtroom. Ambulances were seen leaving the tribunal, but there was no official confirmation of Praljak's condition.

 

A reading of the judgment, which was also deciding on charges against five other suspects, resumed more than two hours after Praljak said he had poisoned himself.

 

"The Dutch authorities have already commenced an investigation into what happened this morning,” he said.

 

The incident upstaged the appeals ruling, which was important for Croatia, where parliament was suspended so lawmakers could follow the reading of the verdict.

 

"NOT A WAR CRIMINAL"

 

The court upheld convictions of Praljak and five other Bosnian Croats: Jadranko Prlic, the political leader of the Croatian province of Bosnia, along with military and police figures Bruno Stojic, Milivoj Petrovic, Valentin Coric and Berislav Pusic.

 

Judges upheld findings that there was a criminal conspiracy that included the regime of neighbouring Croatia under then-President Franjo Tudjman with the goal of "ethnic cleansing of the Muslim population" of parts of Bosnia to ensure Croatian domination.

 

The defendants on Wednesday received sentences ranging from 10 to 25 years. The decision cannot be appealed.

 

The chairman of Bosnia’s inter-ethnic presidency, Dragan Covic, a Croat, said: “He showed before the whole world what kind of sacrifice he is ready to make to prove that he is not a war criminal.”

 

The ICTY, established in 1993 by the U.N. Security Council, indicted 161 war crimes suspects from Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo. Of the 83 convicted, more than 60 of them were ethnic Serbs.

 

The court's lead suspect, former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, died of a heart attack in March 2006 months before a ruling in his genocide case.

 

Former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic was found guilty of genocide by the U.N. war crimes tribunal last week and sentenced to life in prison for his role in massacres and ethnic cleansing during Bosnia's war.

 

Two defendants awaiting trial committed suicide by hanging themselves in their U.N. cells, according to court documents. Slavko Dogmanovic died in 1998 and Milan Babić was found dead in his locked cell in 2006.

 

(Additional reporting by Toby Sterling in Amsterdam, Daria Sito-Sucic in Sarajevo and Maja Zuvela in Mostar; Writing by Anthony Deutsch)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-11-30

"Poison" is what "poison" does.

His body may have escaped the judgement of men, but his soul would face the judgement of God...

12 minutes ago, trogers said:

His body may have escaped the judgement of men, but his soul would face the judgement of God...

Yes I think I would settle for that any day of the week--- Give me $50 million and a life of complete debauchery , and I'll let the magic fairy in the sky sort it all out & punish me when I'm dead.

Red bull heir guy and Donald Trump

22 minutes ago, trogers said:

His body may have escaped the judgement of men, but his soul would face the judgement of God...

But he is one of Gods 'Children', and God let it happen in the first place, clearly God see's nothing wrong with it.

6 minutes ago, sanuk711 said:

Yes I think I would settle for that any day of the week--- Give me $50 million and a life of complete debauchery , and I'll let the magic fairy in the sky sort it all out & punish me when I'm dead.

Easy. Go to any crossroad, dig and bury your hair and blood, and call Satan that you want to sell your soul to him.

Just now, Andaman Al said:

But he is one of Gods 'Children', and God let it happen in the first place, clearly God see's nothing wrong with it.

True Christianity don't kill to force their beliefs. That's why men have been given free will. We are not Muslim terrorists.

1 minute ago, trogers said:

Easy. Go to any crossroad, dig and bury your hair and blood, and call Satan that you want to sell your soul to him.

Thanks for the tip trogers---would Sukumvit/Soi 4 be OK..?  Then I would just be a short distance to start collecting on the debauchery side...But if a change of mind--to get out of it I dont have to be able to play the guitar better than him do I....because I never got pass the comb and paper musically.

4 minutes ago, trogers said:

True Christianity don't kill to force their beliefs. That's why men have been given free will. We are not Muslim terrorists.

Whereas true Islam compels Muslims to commit terrorist acts? If so, there are very few true Muslims out there.

13 minutes ago, trogers said:

True Christianity don't kill to force their beliefs.

Oh no...the Christians never killed any one trogers........

.

I am going to drop out at this point--as its taking away from a serious bit of news.

But you can always start an alternative post on peaceful Christianity --- and other oxymoron's   also the location of that Soul you mentioned.

 

** no more from me.

.

Edited November 30, 20178 yr by sanuk711

Please stay on topic.   A debate about religion is going to end up in post removal and suspension.  

 

 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Slobodan Praljak, 72, died in hospital in the Hague after he was seen drinking from a flask or glass as a U.N. judge read out the ruling against him and five other suspects, state TV reported, citing unnamed sources

Good. 

 

Rot in hell you genocidal murdering scum. 

 

The only pity is you didn’t share with your fellow butchers on trial with you. 

Edited November 30, 20178 yr by Bluespunk

Troll posts removed. 

5 hours ago, trogers said:

True Christianity don't kill to force their beliefs. That's why men have been given free will. We are not Muslim terrorists.

The man in the OP was convicted for War Crimes against Muslims. No idea if he professed to be Christian, but Croat forces were predominantly Roman Catholic.

1 minute ago, simple1 said:

The man in the OP was convicted for War Crimes against Muslims. No idea if he professed to be Christian, but Croat forces were predominantly Roman Catholic.

You mean they are Vaticanese...

10 hours ago, webfact said:

"I just drank poison," he said. "I am not a war criminal. I oppose this conviction."

Then he was out from hospital back door. ???

45 minutes ago, Foozool said:

Then he was out from hospital back door. ???

Spoken like a true Serb.

10 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

Spoken like a true Serb.

Sorry, I even don't wish to be one, but this  sounds like the whole thing was a plan to get him lost. Perhaps somewhere in South America. 

 

3 minutes ago, Foozool said:

Sorry, I even don't wish to be one, but this  sounds like the whole thing was a plan to get him lost. Perhaps somewhere in South America. 

 

Nope, he is dead.

Good to see he took his own medicine on the chin