ICTY: Appeals Chamber Confirmed International Armed Conflict, Occupation and JCE

THE HAGUE, (Patria) - The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia has, within the appeals judgment for former leaders of the self-proclaimed Croatian Community of Herceg-Bosna, established that there was an international armed conflict in BiH and a state of occupation, and it also confirmed the existence of a Croatian joint criminal enterprise with the aim of ethnic cleansing of parts of BiH.

The Appeals Chamber, presided over by Carmelo Agius, found that the Trial Chamber correctly established the existence of an international armed conflict, and that it correctly established that Croatia exercised control through local bodies in Herceg-Bosna, which confirms that a state of occupation existed. The Appeals Chamber also dismissed the grounds of appeal in which it was argued that there was no joint criminal enterprise.

Numerous facts show that Croatia, through the HVO, had authority over these municipalities and finds that Pušić, Prlić, Stojić, Praljak, Petković and Ćorić were unsuccessful in their claim that the Trial Chamber erroneously reached that conclusion, reported HRT, as carried by the Patria agency.