Bosnia and Herzegovina Parliament session interrupted due to events in The Hague

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The continuation of the 53rd session of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been interrupted again, due to the pronouncement of the verdict on six former leaders of the self-proclaimed Croatian Community of Herceg-Bosna, reports Patria agency.

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliament, Mladen Bosić, told reporters that the Speaker, Borjana Krišto, requested that the session not be continued after the break, due to the events at the Hague Tribunal.

The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, in its appellate judgment on former leaders of the self-proclaimed Croatian Community of Herceg-Bosna, determined that there was an international armed conflict in BiH and a state of occupation, and confirmed the existence of a Croatian joint criminal enterprise aimed at ethnic cleansing of parts of BiH.

Slobodan Praljak, after his 20-year prison sentence was confirmed, addressed the Trial Chamber: "I am not a war criminal. I reject your verdict with contempt."

Praljak took a bottle and drank a liquid from it. Although the broadcast continued, it was soon interrupted because it was heard in the courtroom that Praljak had drunk poison. The curtains in the courtroom were lowered.

- This is poison that I drank - said Praljak.

Ambulance vehicles and a resuscitation team also arrived in front of the Hague Tribunal building.

There is no official information yet on whether the pronouncement of the verdict will continue.

Due to this situation, the session of the Croatian Parliament was also interrupted.