By Talha Ozturk
BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) – A former Bosnian Croat general convicted of war crimes died in hospital after drinking poison in a UN court on Wednesday.
The case at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague came to an abrupt halt when Praljak stood up, rejected the verdict and drank what he said was poison from a small bottle.
“Slobodan Praljak is not a war criminal. I reject this verdict with contempt, ” he shouted. His lawyer also said Praljak had taken a substance, and the presiding judge ended proceedings.
Croatia's official news agency HINA announced later that, based on information gathered from close relatives, Praljak died in hospital.
The breaking news was also published on many other local Croatian and Bosnian news outlets.
No official statement has yet been made confirming Praljak’s death.
Praljak was one of six former Bosnian Croat political and military leaders of the self-proclaimed Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia which existed during the 1992-1995 Bosnian War.
The group was appealing a string of war crimes verdicts.
Praljak, 72, had launched an appeal over a 2013 verdict against wartime Croatian figures who had been sentenced to a total of 111 years in prison for crimes committed in the Bosnian conflict.
