International Law

International tribunal finds Bosnian leader Karadzic guilty of genocide

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A United Nations tribunal has found former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic guilty of genocide and other crimes for civil war atrocities.

Karadzic, 70, was convicted on 10 of 11 charges on Thursday by the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, report the Guardian, the Washington Post and the New York Times. Prosecutors alleged his terror campaign included atrocities during the siege of Sarajevo and the massacre of more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica.

Karadzic was sentenced to 40 years in prison. He plans an appeal, according to his lawyers.

During the trial, Karadzic called 238 witnesses. He maintained he did not order killings and was unaware of the massacre of the Bosnian Muslims, according to the Times coverage.

Another defendant, former Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic, died in 2006 before a verdict in his trial.

The Guardian calls the verdict “the most significant moment in the 23-year existence” of the tribunal. It has convicted 80 out of 161 defendants. Three suspects are still on trial, including Karadzic’s military chief, Ratko Mladic.

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