A former Bosnian Croat military commander swallowed what he said was poison in a U.N. war crimes courtroom on Wednesday and died shortly after losing an appeal against his 20-year prison term. .
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Slobodan Praljak’s apparent courtroom suicide came in the final minutes of the last judgment at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, which closes next month after 24 years. .
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Praljak, 72, was taken to hospital after drinking from a flask or glass as an ICTY judge read out appeals rulings against him and five other convicted Bosnian Croat war criminals, tribunal spokesman Nenad Golcevski said. .
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“I just drank poison,” Praljak told the stunned court. “I am not a war criminal. I oppose this conviction.” After gulping down the drink, Praljak sat back down and slumped in his chair.
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Judges ruled there had been a criminal conspiracy, with the involvement of the Croatian government under then-President Franjo Tudjman - who died in 1999 - aimed at the “ethnic cleansing of the Muslim population” of parts of Bosnia to ensure Croat domination there. .
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The defendants on Wednesday received sentences ranging from 10 to 25 years. The decision cannot be appealed. Praljak was convicted for his role in the unlawful imprisonment of 1,000 Bosnian Muslims. .
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He was found guilty of murder and persecution and for driving Muslims from Croat-claimed territory in Bosnia. The chairman of post-war Bosnia’s inter-ethnic presidency, Dragan Covic, a Croat, said: “(Praljak) showed before the whole world what kind of sacrifice he is ready to make to prove that he is not a war criminal.” .
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Previously, two defendants awaiting their ICTY trial, both Serbs, committed suicide by hanging themselves in their U.N. cells, according to court documents. Slavko Dogmanovic died in 1998 and Milan Babic was found dead in his locked cell in 2006. 📹: AP
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