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Thursday 30 November 2017

How Bosnian Warlord Manage To Smuggle Poison Into Court? Former General who killed himself at The Hague

Protest: Fellow convicts Bruno Stojic and Milivoj Petkovic, sitting on either side of the Croat politician, look on in shock and surprise as he downs the contents of the bottle

Slobodan Praljak, a former Bosnian-Croat general, killed himself on camera at The Hague on Wednesday as a judge upheld his 20-year sentence for war crimes, it has been reported. Praljak downed a small bottle of brown liquid as the judge delivered his ruling, before telling the cameras; 'I just drank poison. I am not a war criminal. I oppose this conviction.' The hearing was immediately suspended as medics rushed to the scene, though Croatian state TV later reported that Praljak had died, according to sources close to him. Praljak, 72, is one of six Croatian politicians sentenced to jail for their involvement in a campaign to drive Muslims out of a would-be Bosnian Croat mini-state in Bosnia in the early 1990s.



The Bosnian-Croat war chief who killed himself with poison during his his war crimes trial at The Hague was 'easily' able to smuggle the deadly liquid into the building, a prominent lawyer says.
It's still not clear, however, how Slobodan Praljak, 72, obtained the poison while in custody, as he was serving his 20-year sentence in an undisclosed UN prison cell and was driven each day to the court in a secure van for his appeal hearing.
Praljak yelled, 'I am not a war criminal!' and drank a dark liquid from a small bottle seconds after losing his appeal against a 20-year prison sentence at the International Criminal Tribunal in the Netherlands on Wednesday. 
'I just drank poison,' he added. 'I am not a war criminal. I oppose this conviction.'   
Bosnian Croat wartime suspect drinks poison during sentencing
Praljak appeared to drink the poison seconds after losing his appeal at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, in The Hague, NetherlandsHe was found guilty of crimes that included murder, persecution and inhumane treatment as part of the plan to drive Muslims out of a would-be Bosnian Croat territory in Bosnia
A lawyer who has frequently defended suspects at the war crimes court told The Associated Press it would be easy to bring poison into the court.
Prominent Serbian lawyer Toma Fila said security for lawyers and other court staff 'is just like at an airport'.
Security officers inspect metal objects and confiscate cellphones, but 'pills and small quantities of liquids' would not be registered, Fila said. 
Praljak was one of six Croatian politicians sentenced to jail for their involvement in a campaign to drive Muslims out of a would-be Bosnian Croat mini-state in Bosnia in the early 1990s.
His lawyer shouted out 'my client has taken poison' before judge Carmel Agius suspended the hearing and the courtroom was closed.

Moments after Praljak drank the liquid, ambulance crews arrived at the scene and a helicopter began hovering overhead.
Several emergency rescue workers, some of them wearing helmets and with oxygen tanks on their backs, rushed into the building while court officials called for calm. 
A spokesman for the tribunal confirmed he died after 'he drank a liquid while in court and quickly fell ill'. 
Nenad Golcevski added: 'One of the six defendants... passed away today in the HMC hospital in The Hague' despite efforts to save him in hospital.  
Croatia's state-run TV service said he died in hospital in the Netherlands, a statement which was later confirmed by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, who offered condolences to his family. 


Mr Plenkovic said at a press conference that 'we have all unfortunately witnessed his act by which he took his own life'.
'His act mostly speaks about a deep moral injustice towards six Croats from Bosnia and the Croatian people ... We voice dissatisfaction and regret about the verdict.'
Judge Agius declared the courtroom to be a crime scene as he restarted the hearing, though gave no further details.
Dutch police also said an investigation had been launched.
Praljak was sentenced to 20 years in jail along with his co-conspirators back in 2013, though it is not clear if he began serving that sentence before his appeal. 
Bosnian Croats and Muslims were allies against the Serbs but fought each other for 11 months from 1993-1994. 
Praljak, a Croatian politician and general in the the Croatian Army, also commanded Bosnian Croat forces known as the HVO from July to November 1993. 
During this time, Praljak and his allies were trying to establish the 'Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia' - an ethnically Croatian enclave, with the city of Mostar as it's 'capital'.

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