Prosecutors appeal sentence for ex-Bosnian Serb leader
Prosecutors at the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal have appealed against the 27-year sentence imposed on a former senior Bosnian Serb political leader, calling it “manifestly inadequate” and urging judges to imprison him for life.
Momcilo Krajisnik, 61, was convicted last month of five counts of war crimes, including persecution, extermination, and the murder of Muslims and Croats in the early stages of the 1992-1995 Bosnian war.
Judges acquitted the former speaker of the Bosnian Serb parliament of a genocide charge.
In a motion released by the UN court today, prosecutors said the 27-year sentence, one of the longest ever imposed by the court, “demonstrates a disregard for the inherent gravity of the crimes committed by the respondent and the form and degree of his participation in them”.
The prosecution added that the three-judge panel was wrong to consider mitigating circumstances including Krajisnik’s age, the time he spent in pre-trial detention and the fact that he had not attempted to escape.
Krajisnik also plans to appeal his conviction. In a separate ruling, the court allowed him more time to prepare as he currently does not have a lawyer and does not have a copy of his judgment in a language he understands.
Krajisnik’s case was one of the most important remaining for the tribunal, which is due to begin its last trial in 2008, and may be the last chance to apportion blame among the leadership of the breakaway Bosnian Serb leadership for atrocities carried out by its forces.
The two remaining key suspects, former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and his military chief, Gen. Ratko Mladic, are still on the run more than a decade after being indicted for genocide.
