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November 30, 2017

Bosnian War Criminal Dies After Drinking Poison in International Criminal Court
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At the International Criminal Court in the Hague, former Bosnian Croat
military commander Slobodan Praljak died Wednesday after he drank a vial
of poison inside the courtroom. Praljak, who'd been convicted to a
20-year prison term for his role in the Bosnian War of 1992-95, rose to
his feet just moments after a judge upheld the sentence.

Slobodan Praljak: "Honorable judges, Slobodan Praljak is not a war
criminal, and I accept your verdict with utter disgust."

Presiding Judge Carmel Agius: "Stop please. Please sit down."

Praljak then tilted his head back as he drank from a glass bottle,
telling the stunned courtroom moments later, "I just drank poison!" He
later died at a nearby hospital. It's not clear how the 72-year-old
prisoner might have smuggled poison into the ICC's courtrooms. In 2013,
Praljak was found guilty of crimes against humanity, violations of the
laws of war and of violating the Geneva Conventions.


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