Bosnian Croat General Dies After Drinking Poison in Courtroom

Bosnia Croat commander drinks poison, dies after UN turned down his 20-year sentence for war crimes.

(Photo: Reuters)

The wartime commander of Bosnian Croat forces, Slobodan Praljak, died after he drank poison after a United Nations judge turned down his appeal against a 20-year sentence for war crimes against Bosnian Muslims, Croatian state television reported.

The dramatic event occurred in the final minutes of the court's last verdict before closing down.

Slobodan Praljak, 72, tilted back his head and took a swing from a flask or glass as the judge read out the verdict.

I just drank poison. I am not a war criminal and I oppose this conviction.

Slobodan Praljak, wartime commander, Bosnian Croat forces

The presiding judge suspended the hearing and called for a doctor. An ambulance was at the building and paramedics went to the courtroom.

Croatian General Marinko Kresic had told the state TV he had spoken to the wife of another defendant, Milivoje Petkovic, who was in The Hague.

She confirmed that he drank the poison and that he is in a very grave health condition, Marinko Kresic said.

A few hours later, the Croatian state television quoted sources close to Praljak as saying he had supposedly died in a hospital in The Hague.

The court said it would resume reading the verdict, which is also handling cases against five other defendants, including Milivoje Petkovic.

Later, Appeals judges at the UN's Yugoslav war crimes tribunal upheld the convictions of six Bosnian Croats found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 1990s, in the court's last verdict before it closes next month.