THE HAGUE: A United Nations court on Monday granted early release to a former Bosnian Croat defense minister convicted of war crimes, including murdering and deporting Muslims in Bosnia in the early 1990s.
The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, based in The Hague, ordered Bruno Stojic released from detention in Austria to return to Croatia.
The 70-year-old had behaved well in prison, admitted the gravity of his crimes and was unlikely to reoffend, said presiding judge Graciela Gatti Santana in her decision.
“The gravity of Stojic’s crimes is high and weighs against granting early release. However, there are a number of positive factors that weigh in favor of early release,” she noted.
She cited “acceptance of personal responsibility for the crimes,” “expression of regret for the consequences” of his actions, “very good behavior in prison” and “good prospects of successful reintegration.”
