Hague court overturns convictions of two Croatian generals November 16, 2012 - 14:23 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A war crimes court in The Hague has overturned the convictions of two Croatian generals charged with atrocities against Serbs in the 1990s, according to BBC News. Appeals judges at tribunal for the former Yugoslavia ordered the release of Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac. In 2011 they were sentenced to 24 years and 18 years respectively over the killing of ethnic Serbs in an offensive to retake Croatia's Krajina region. Thousands of people in Croatia's capital Zagreb cheered Friday's, Nov 16 ruling. On Friday, presiding Judge Theodor Meron said that court entered "a verdict of acquittal" for Gen Gotovina and Gen Markac, both aged 57. The two men were last year convicted of of murder, persecution and plunder. Judges then ruled that they were part of a criminal conspiracy led by late Croatian President Franjo Tudjman to expel ethnic Serbs. They referred to the shelling of Knin and three other towns. But on Friday, Judge Meron said there had been no such conspiracy. Court officials also said prosecutors would not appeal against the ruling, describing it as "the final judgment".   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news Pashinyan: We must stop searching for homeland, we have found that homeland  Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has shared a message on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.Erdogan wants “realistic road map” for relations with Armenia Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a “new realistic road map” for relations with Armenia.Armenia-Azerbaijan: Experts launch work on determining coordinates Expert groups from the countries started the process of determining the coordinates based on geodetic measurements.Yerevan says did not expect CSTO in peacekeeping role Pashinyan has declared that the CSTO would be expected to come to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border as an ally of Armenia |
