UN tribunal President grants former prison-camp commander an early release

The President of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) today granted an early release to a former prison-camp commander after serving two-thirds of his nine-year sentence for war crimes committed while in charge of Bosnian Serb detainees.

Zdravko Mucic, a Bosnian Croat and former commander of Celebici camp, 50 kilometres from Sarajevo, had been serving a nine-year prison sentence for killing, torturing, sexually assaulting, beating and otherwise subjecting Bosnian Serb detainees to cruel and inhumane treatment.

The tribunal said Judge Theodor Meron took into consideration the gravity of the offence as well as Mr. Zdravko's "resolve to reintegrate into society, his good physical and mental condition, his irreproachable behaviour in detention, his attachment to his family and the possibility for him to exercise a profession when released."