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Croatian military leaders convicted of war crimes

Gotovina and Markac guilty of persecuting Serbs in 1995 war

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugolsavia in The Hague has convicted two Croatian military leaders for war crimes committed during the Croatian War of Independence in 1995. Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac were sentenced to 24 years and 18 years respectively for their role in the murder and persecution of the Serb civilian population in Croatia’s Krajina region. About 200,000 ethnic Serbs were driven from Croatia in 1995, and at least 150 were killed. “The Croatian military committed acts of murder, cruel treatment, inhumane acts, plunder, persecution and deportation,” said presiding Judge Alphons Orie in his ruling. The court found that Gotovina and Markac had a prominent role in overseeing the anti-Serb campaign. A crowd gathered in Zagreb to watch the hearing, and booed when the judge announced the guilty verdicts. Many Croatians regard the two men as heroes.

BBC News

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