JURIST - Paper Chase: ICTY appeals panel sentences Sarajevo siege general to life in prison

[JURIST] An appeals chamber at the International Criminal Court for the former Yugoslavia [official website] Thursday sentenced a former Bosnian Serb Army general to life imprisonment [judgment; summary; press release] for leading troops in attacks against civilians during the 1992-1994 siege of Sarajevo [BBC backgrounder]. Stanislav Galic [ICTY case backgrounder; case summary] was convicted [judgment] in 2003 on five crimes against humanity and war crimes charges and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The appeals chamber dismissed all of Galic's arguments, but affirmed the prosecution's appeal of the sentence, extending the term to life in prison, marking the first time the appeals chamber has handed down the maximum sentence.

In its ruling, the appeals panel said that "terrorisation of the civilian population was the primary purpose of the campaign of sniping and shelling and that Galic, who held the position of commander of the Bosnian Serb Army Sarajevo-Romanija Corps (SRK), had the intent to spread terror among the civilian population." AP has more. The UN News Service has additional coverage.

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