Bosnian Serb jailed for Srebrenica
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Graves of Srebrenica massacre victims
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THE HAGUE, The Netherlands (Reuters) -- A former Bosnian Serb army commander has been jailed for 17 years by The Hague war crimes tribunal for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of more than 7,000 Muslim men and boys.
Dragan Obrenovic, one of two former commanders to admit his role in Europe's worst massacre since World War Two in a plea agreement in May, pleaded guilty at the U.N. court on Wednesday to one count of crimes against humanity the same month.
"The trial chamber hereby sentences you to a period of 17 years' imprisonment," presiding judge Liu Daqun told Obrenovic as he stood to hear his sentence for admitting persecution on political, racial and religious grounds.
Five other counts -- including extermination and murder -- were dismissed against Obrenovic, chief of staff of the Bosnian Army's Zvornik Brigade, in his plea agreement with prosecutors in May.
Obrenovic's fellow accused Momir Nikolic was jailed for 27 years this month for his role in the slaughter of Muslims after Bosnian Serb forces overran the Srebrenica enclave towards the end of the 1992-95 Bosnian war.
Prosecutors had recommended a 15-20 year sentence for Obrenovic. Obrenovic and Nikolic were not the first men to be sentenced for their role in Srebrenica by the court.
Senior Bosnian Serb commander Radislav Krstic was sentenced to 46 years in jail for genocide at Srebrenica by the tribunal in a landmark verdict in 2001.
The tribunal's two most wanted men, Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadzic and his military commander, Ratko Mladic, are also accused of responsibility for the Srebrenica massacre as well as the siege of the Bosnian capital Sarajevo.
Both remain at large.
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Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
