Reuters AlertNet Lite - Rebel Serb leader Martic appeals conviction

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Rebel Serb leader Martic appeals conviction

13 Jul 2007 17:58:32 GMT
Source: Reuters

AMSTERDAM, July 13 (Reuters) - The former leader of rebel Serbs in Croatia, Milan Martic, has appealed against his conviction for war crimes and crimes against humanity, the U.N. war crimes tribunal said on Friday.

Martic, 52, was sentenced to 35 years in jail on June 12 for ordering atrocities committed when rebel Serbs set up a breakaway state in Croatia as the old Yugoslavia disintegrated.

He was found guilty of being criminally responsible for the murder, persecution, torture and deportation of Croats, Muslims and other non Serb civilians during the early 1990s.

"Due to errors in fact and law in the judgment (...) the defence requests the appeals chamber to revise the judgment and find Milan Martic not guilty," his lawyers said in the notice of appeal.

They said they wanted judges to reduce his sentence significantly if the appeals chamber upheld the guilty verdict on some of the charges.

Ironically, the prosecution also said it would appeal over the Martic ruling since it held him responsible for more crimes against humanity and wants the sentence to take this into account.

Martic, a former policeman, was appointed president of a self-proclaimed Serb republic in Croatia in 1994. He surrendered to the U.N. tribunal in 2002 and pleaded not guilty to all charges.

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Last updated:Fri Jul 13 18:00:11 2007