Bosnian Serb changes war crimes plea

Bosnian Serb changes war crimes plea

The deal must be approved by trial judges.

Zelenović, a 45-year-old former policeman and paramilitary leader, was indicted in 1996 for atrocities committed against non-Serbs in his native Foca region, southeast of Sarajevo during the 1992-95 Bosnian war.

After Serb forces took control of Foca, whose population at the time was 52 percent Muslim and 45 percent Serb, they unlawfully detained thousands of Muslims and Croats.

The women were separated from the men and many were later subjected to humiliating treatment, brutal beatings and sexual assaults.

Prosecutors told the court they wanted a sentence in the range of 10-15 years for Zelenović, while his defence counsel said they recommended a sentence of between 7-10 years.

Zelenović arrived in the Netherlands to face trial in June 2006 after he was arrested in western Siberia in August 2005, where Russian media said he had been working on construction sites under an assumed name.

The Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia has jurisdiction over individuals responsible for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.