ENGLISH
Bosnian Croat suspect 'takes poison' in UN court
Former Croatian general Slobodan Praljak claims to have ingested poison after being sentenced to 20 years in prison
BELGRADE, Serbia
A UN war crimes appeal trial was suspended on Wednesday after a former Croatian general claimed to have drank poison upon being sentenced to 20 years in jail.
The case at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague came to an abrupt halt when Slobodan Praljak claimed to have taken poison from a small bottle.
"Slobodan Praljak is not a war criminal. I discard this verdict with contempt," he shouted. His lawyer also said Praljak had taken a substance, and the presiding judge ended proceedings.
It is not clear what, if anything, Praljak ingested.
Praljak is one of six former Bosnian Croat political and military leaders of the self-proclaimed Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia which existed during the 1992-1995 Bosnian War.
He had launched an appeal over a 2013 verdict against wartime Croatian figures who were sentenced to a total of 111 years in prison for crimes committed in the Bosnian conflict.
The ICTY Appeal Council had sentenced the ‘prime minister’ of the self-proclaimed Croatian entity, Jadranko Prlic, to 25 years in prison. ‘Defense minister’ Bruno Stojic was sentenced to 20 years.
However, it was Praljak's 20 years in prison which provoked uproar in court.
Meanwhile, a regular session in the Croatian parliament in Zagreb was interrupted and lawmakers left the chamber after the breaking news from The Hague.
According to Croatian State Agency HINA, a helicopter has been sent for Praljak.

Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism in Canada higher than after 9/11, warns expert

International students in Türkiye embrace Ramadan traditions away from home

Turkish Graduates Will Undertake Important Tasks in the Reconstruction of Syria

NCCM CALLS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AFTER DIVISIVE RHETORIC REPOSTED BY MANITOBA PC LEADERSHIP CANDIDATE

“YTB 15TH YEAR SPECIAL AWARD” IN THE PRESS PHOTOS OF THE YEAR COMPETITION

Turkish Graduates Take on Important Tasks in Reconstruction of Syria

Israeli army orders evacuation in central Gaza Strip

Gaza war victim's family denied entry to Australia

Canada must enable humanitarian aid into Gaza following "flour massacre"

London attack ruling first to recognize terror on grounds of white nationalism

YTB Organized Hanau Terrorist Attack Commemoration Program

Gaza’s death toll from Israeli attacks soars to 9,488

President Erdoğan holds talks with Algeria's Tebboune in Istanbul

Türkiye launches 1st high-res observation satellite into space
