Genocide

THE HAGUE - Ratko Mladic's defence on Friday began its closing argument before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), claiming he was not guilty of the crimes he is charged with, which include war crimes and a 1995 genocide of thousands of Muslims in Srebrenica.

THE HAGUE - The prosecutors of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia on Wednesday requested life imprisonment for Ratko Mladic, who is charged with war crimes, including a 1995 genocide of thousands of Muslims in Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

THE HAGUE - Ratko Mladic's defence on Friday began its closing argument before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), claiming he was not guilty of the crimes he is charged with, which include war crimes and a 1995 genocide of thousands of Muslims in Srebrenica.

Ratko Mladic's defense said in its closing arguments before the Hague Tribunal that it managed to demonstrate Mladic is not guilty of genocide and other crimes.

The Hague Prosecution is seeking life sentence for the former commander of the Army of the Serb Republic (VRS) Ratko Mladic.

The 74-year old is charged with two counts of genocide, "part of the attempt to carve an ethnically pure Serb state out of multiethnic Bosnia, alongside political leader Radovan Karadzic, who was sentenced in March to 40 years' prison," Reuters said.

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia called on judges at the UN court to jail Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic for life for genocide and other wartime crimes.

Former Bosnian Serb President Radovan Karadzic has filed an appeal challenging the Hague Tribunal’s verdict sentencing him to 40 years in prison for genocide and crimes against humanity.

The Tuzla-based Foundation for Truth, Justice, Reconciliation has filed a criminal complaint against Nedeljko Cubrilovic, president of the National Assembly in Bosnia's Serb-dominated entity Republika Srpska, and members of the organising committee that recently gave awards to convicted war criminals including Radovan Karadzic.

Denial of genocide and war crimes will become a criminal offense in Serbia.

This will be the case if final judgments reached either by a court in Serbia, or the International Criminal Court (ICC), establish that these acts had taken place.

Justice Minister Nela Kuburovic said Serbia will introduce a law to punish the denial of genocide and war crimes if the offences have been confirmed by the International Criminal Court or Serbian courts.