Commander of Bosnian Muslim Army Convicted of War Crimes
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THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The Yugoslav war crimes tribunal convicted a former commander of the Bosnian Muslim army yesterday of cruelty toward Bosnian Serb prisoners who were forced to kiss the severed head of a fellow prisoner, but acquitted him of murder.
General Rasim Delic was sentenced to three years in prison for responsibility for Islamic volunteers under his command who abused captured Bosnian Serbs in the summer of 1995.
Mr. Delic, a former commander of the main staff of the Bosnian army, is the most senior Bosnian Muslim officer convicted by the court in its 15-year history. The vast majority of the 161 indictments handed down by prosecutors have been against Serbs.
Both Croats and Serbs in Bosnia denounced the verdict.
Bosnian Serb President Kuzmanovic called it a “flagrant violation of international law and an example of double standards in judiciary.”
The Croat Democratic Union of Bosnia, said in a statement it was “unpleasantly surprised” at the verdict and called Mr. Delic’s sentence “a shamefully mild punishment.”
