SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Yugoslavia war crimes tribunal in The Hague on Wednesday confirmed a life in prison sentence against General Zdravko Tolimir, a ranking officer in the Army of the Republika Srpska, for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica genocide.
Tolimir was the former assistant commander for intelligence and security of the main staff of the Army of Republika Srpska.
In 2012, he was found guilty of participating in two joint criminal enterprises; one to murder the able-bodied men of Srebrenica and the other to forcibly remove the Bosnian Muslim population from Srebrenica and Zepa. The defendant was convicted of genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, extermination, murder, persecution, and inhumane acts through forcible transfer.
The appellate court affirmed that Tolimir had actively participated in and significantly contributed to these crimes, which resulted in the mass execution of thousands of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica and the forcible displacement of thousands of civilians.
Kada Hotic, deputy president of the Mothers of Srebrenica and Zepa Enclaves association, told The Anadolu Agency that she is happy with the verdict.
"I am pleased because finally Tolimir got life in prison for the Srebrenica genocide and many crimes in eastern Bosnia during the war," Hotic, who lost her husband, son and brothers during the events, said. "This will be a warning to his fellow countrymen and those who were with him."
The tribunal had issued indictments against 20 people for crimes committed in and around the Srebrenica and Zepa enclaves in 1995.
With Tolimir's verdict, trials for 16 of the accused have ended, while proceedings continue in the cases of Radovan Karadzic, Ratko Mladic, Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic.
