Former Bosnian Serb general transferred to Estonia after war crimes conviction

Former Bosnian Serb general transferred to Estonia after war crimes conviction

2011-03-24 00:24:26 GMT+7 (ICT)

THE HAGUE (BNO NEWS) -- A former Bosnian Serb Army General on Tuesday was transferred to Estonia to serve his jail term after being convicted of war crimes, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) informed on Wednesday.

Dragomir Milošević was convicted in December 12, 2007 for crimes committed against civilians of Sarajevo during the second half of the 1992-1995 siege of the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Milošević, 69, was the commander of the Sarajevo-Romanija Corps (SRK) of the Bosnian Serb Army (VRS) which set a siege in Sarajevo for three and a half years, the duration of the long armed conflict. He conducted a deadly campaign of sniping and shelling.

ICTY found the former commander guilty of crimes against humanity and of a violation of the laws or customs of war. The defendant was convicted on five counts of terror, murder and inhumane acts which resulted in the death of several civilians.

Milošević was originally sentenced to 33 years in prison but appealed the ruling. On 12 November 2009, the Appeals Chamber reduced the defendant's sentenced to 29 years of imprisonment.

During trial, evidence did not support claims that Milošević planned and ordered the sniping incidents. However, he was found guilty of failing to prevent and punish such crimes committed by his subordinates.

On 14 February 2011, the ICTY designated Estonia as the country in which Milošević will serve his prison term. The former general is the second convicted person to be transferred to Estonia.

On June 26, 2009, Milan Martić, former wartime political leader of Croatian Serbs, was transferred to Estonia to serve out his 35-year jail sentence for his role in a campaign of ethnic cleansing.

Since its establishment, the ICTY has indicted 161 people for serious violations of humanitarian law committed in the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 2001. Proceedings against 125 persons have been concluded and further proceedings are currently ongoing for 34 others.

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