Meron pays respects to Serb victims in Celebici

KONJIC - President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) Theodor Meron, who is on a visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH), paid his respects on Wednesday to the Serb victims of the former prison camp in Celebici near Konjic, Herzegovina.

During the civil war in BiH in 1992, members of the BiH army ran a detention camp in Celebici for Serb prisoners.

I am here to pay my respects to the victims of cruel and brutal acts committed in the Celebici camp more than two decades ago, Meron said in a press statement.

The ICTY president said that while touring the former detention camp he could feel even now the suffering of those who were held prisoners there.

According to the available data, at least 400 Serbs were held in inhumane conditions at the Celebici camp, where 19 of them were murdered.

My visit to this site highlights the significance of the Tribunal's work for the sanctioning of individual criminal responsibility, as a contribution to the world where the rule of law is of utmost importance, said Meron.

He voiced hope that the work of the ICTY will help strengthen the rule of law and that the suffering such as the one that Celebici victims survived will never happen again.

Three former members of the BiH Army were prosecuted by ICTY for the crimes against Serb prisoners in the Celebici camp and final judgments were rendered in 2003.

Hazim Delic was sentenced to 18 years, Esad Landzo to 15, and Zdravko Mucic to nine years in prison.

Meron was asked by the Croatian news agency HINA to comment on the temporary release of ICTY indictee Vojislav Seselj that caused a stir in Croatia, but he refused, saying that this is not the right time. I am...