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TITLE: Bosnian Death Villagers Regret "Light" War Crimes Sentence |
AUTHOR: Amra Hadziosmanovic |
PUB: AFP |
DATE: February 26, 2001 |
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In the tiny village of Ahmici, 60 kilometers northwest of Sarajevo, 54-year-old Hajrudin ezer leapt from his chair when he heard the verdict on Monday in the trial of Dario Kordic. ordic, vice president of the wartime Bosnian Croat republic, was sentenced to 25 years in prison by the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague for his role in the massacres of hundreds of Muslims in Bosnia's central Lasva valley. But Pezer thought the sentence was too light. Twenty members of Pezer's family were killed in Ahmici by members of the Bosnian Croat HVO militia on April 16, 1993, along with 96 other Muslims, many of them burned alive in their homes. Pezer's mother and brother were among the dead, he told AFP, adding that they had been forced into a home which was then set ablaze. His brother's wife was also killed. Only Pezer, his wife and two daughters were able to flee to safety shortly before the killings began. "Nothing replaces the loss of a family," he said. "My grandchildren know who Kordic is and what he did." "I am disappointed," Pezer added, looking toward the village's mosque and its minaret, left unrepaired after the attack. Kordic, 40, and co-accused Mario Cerkez, 41, a commander of the HVO militia, were both found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity by a three-judge panel in The Hague. Cerkez was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Kordic was the first politician to be convicted by the UN court. Those prosecuted thus far have been charged with military responsibility for war crimes. Pezer said he holds Kordic responsible for the deaths of his loved ones, remembering that the official had appeared on television, threatening to eliminate all Muslims in the Lasva valley if they did not act as he wished. He also remembers Cerkez, as the two men were in the same "territorial defense unit" before Cerkez joined the HVO. Cerkez's parents still live in Ahmici. Pezer only came back to the village in May 1998, once his house had been rebuilt. Today, three-quarters of the homes in the village are occupied. Pezer and his 60-year-old neighbor, Junuz Berbic, were together when they heard about Monday's verdict, and said they were happy the two men had come to trial. But they agreed that the sentences were too short. "This means they could attack us again," Pezer said. Berbic said that such sentences would only encourage others to commit similar crimes. END |