Sarajevo - The War Crimes Chamber of Bosnia-Herzegovina's State Court sentenced three Bosnian Serbs Friday to a total of 63 years jail for crimes during the country's 1992-1995 war. Dusko Knezevic was sentenced to 31 years, Zeljko Mejakic to 21 and Momcilo Gruban to 11 years.
The indictment said they "directly participated in mistreatment and persecution of the non-Serb civilian population of the northwestern town of Prijedor between 30 April and end of 1992."
It said Mejakic had been commander of the notorious Omarska detention camp near Prijedor, and Gruban commander of one of the guard units there.
Both were sentenced on the basis of their responsibilities. Knezevic had no particular function in the camp, but often visited it and hqad killed or beaten detainees.
More than 7,000 non-Serb civilians, mostly Bosnian Muslims and Croats, were systematically captured, taken and arbitrarily confined at Omarska, Keraterm and Trnopolje detention camps.
The indictment said detainees were subjected to grave physical, psychological and sexual mistreatment.
The case had been transferred two years ago to the state court of Bosnia-Herzegovina from The Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
