BOSNIA: War crime suspect drinks poison in court after 20-yr sentence is upheld

There was palpable drama at the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague when a Bosnian Croat war crime suspect Slobodan Praljak apparently drank poison in court after his 20-year sentence was upheld.

Reports say the suspect while in court drank from a small bottle, upon hearing that his 20-year jail sentence had been upheld by the court declaring: “What I am drinking now is poison”.

“I’m not a war criminal,” Praljak shouted at the presiding judge.

Speaking to Al Jazeera from Sarajevo, Denis Dzidic, deputy editor for the Detecor project, said policemen and an ambulance were ordered to the tribunal building.

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“Slobodan Praljak had his first instance verdict confirmed in which he was sentenced to 20 year in prison. He said that he did not accept the verdict, that he was not a war criminal and then drank the substance.

“The judge then paused the proceedings and ordered the glass [from which Praljak drank] not be taken from court. Now we are waiting to see what would happen. The verdict was mid-way and the first three defendants had their sentences confirmed; 25, 20 and Praljak also 20 years in prison,” Dzidic said.

The action by the war crime suspect forced the tribunal to suspend the ruling of its last judgement in the appeal case involving six Bosnian Croat political and military leaders who were convicted in 2013 of persecuting, expelling and murdering Muslims during Bosnia’s war.

 

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