Bosnian Serb Ex-Policeman Gets 18-Years Jail

Bosnian Serb Ex-Policeman Gets 18-Year Jail Sentence From Un War Crimes Court

The United Nations war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia today sentenced a former Bosnian Serb policeman to 18 years in prison for the murder and rape of Muslim and Croat men held in a detention camp from May to June 1992.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (<"http://www.un.org/icty/">ICTY), located at The Hague, sentenced Ranko Cesic, 39, after he pleaded guilty to six counts of crimes against humanity and six counts of violating the laws or customs of war.

Mr. Cesic admitted to killing 10 men and forcing two brothers to perform oral sex on each other during a 32-day period while he was either a Bosnian Serb police officer or a member of the Bosnian-Serb Territorial Defence group.

The crimes occurred at either the Luka detention camp, near the town of Brcko in northeast Bosnia and Herzegovina, or in the Brcko Partizan Sports Hall.

In one case, Mr. Cesic ordered a man to say goodbye and shake hands with other detainees at the Luka camp before taking him outside and beating him to death.

The judges said the depravity and cruelty of Mr. Cesic's behaviour and the fact that all the victims were vulnerable detainees under the supervision of Mr. Cesic and others were aggravating factors in his case.

But they said Mr. Cesic's guilty plea, remorse and cooperation with prosecutors were mitigating factors and determined that an 18-year jail term would be appropriate.

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