Martic gets 35 years

Even though the Cambodian genocide tribunal has yet to get the proper rules set, the Yugoslavian War Crimes Tribunal handed down a 35 year prison sentence to Milan Martic, who was responsible for killing hundreds of people in a campaign to ethnically cleanse Croatia. He was also found guilty of ordering the cluster bombing of Zagreb.

Most of the crimes were “committed against elderly people, persons held in detention and civilians. The special vulnerability of these victims adds to the gravity of the crimes,” said presiding judge Bakone Moloto.

Martic stood still and showed no emotion as Moloto read out the verdict and his sentence.

The three-judge U.N. panel said Martic was deeply involved in a criminal plot with other Serb leaders including Slobodan Milosevic, Gen. Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic to carve out an ethnically pure “greater Serbia” as Yugoslavia crumbled that would include about one third of Croatia.

“It is clear that Milan Martic endorsed the goal of creating a unified Serb state,” said Moloto.

Martic turned himself in to UN officials in 2002, when he was charged on 19 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. He was found guilty of 16.

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