A former Security chief of the genocidal paramilitary fascist formations of the Serbians living in Bosnia,Serbian war criminal Stojan Zupljanin declined to enter a plea yesterday at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
Serbian war criminal Stojan Zupljanin is charged by the ICTY with genocide, crimes against humanity, violations of the laws and customs of war and grave breacees of the Geneva Conventions,committed during the 1992-1995 Serbian aggression against Bosnia.
Serbian war criminal Stojan Zupljanin, 56, arrested earlier this month after more than eight years as a fugitive from justice, told the court in The Hague he had lived in constant fear of assassination and almost welcomed being in prison.
During his time in hiding, “sometimes I would wish to be taken to the tribunal in The Hague as soon as possible,” Serbian war criminal said.
But he wished the other Serbian war criminals on the run from justice “a long life in freedom.”
“I wish they remain at large forever,” he said.
Appearing for the first time in court, Serbian war criminal Stojan Zupljanin said he would delay entering a plea for the 30 days allowed by law, but indicated he would fight the charges against him.
Prosecutors say he had also overall responsibility for the genocidal Serbian fascist aggressor’s concentration camps in Bosnia where thousands of Bosnian civilians were mass murdered.
“I am going to prove all the untruths of this indictment,” Zupljanin said. By the time the trial is finished, he said Bosnians, Croatians and and
Serbians would erect a monument in his honor.
The indictment accuses him of joining a campaign of genocide against Bosnian civilian population between April and December 1992,during the Serbian aggression against Bosnia.
It says Serbian war criminal Stojan Zupljanin was responsible for 38 concentration camps where Bosnian and Croatian civilians were mass murdered,beaten, tortured, and sexually assaulted by the genocidal Serbian fascist aggressor.
“I am very unhappy that war broke out in the former territory Yugoslavia,” Serbian war criminal told the judge.
Zupljanin is the 43rd Serbian war criminal brought to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia so far. Others include former President of the genocidal Serbia Slobodan Milosevic, who was ousted in 2000 and died in 2006 while on trial for war crimes charges.