The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has decided to grant a provisional release to the wartime prime minister of the self-styled Croatian Republic of Herceg-Bosna, Jadranko Prlic, after which the prosecution has filed a complaint, according to documents released by the Hague-based tribunal on Monday.
Although the trial chamber in the case of six accused Bosnian Croats had repeatedly refused their motions for provisional release, last Thursday it granted Prlic a three-month provisional release, opening the possibility that he might apply for an extension of his release. The prosecution appealed the decision already the next day.
The trial chamber said in its ruling that it had decided to release Prlic because it might take the three judges some time to reach a verdict due to the complexity and scope of the case. It said that the terms of his release from the tribunal's custody were confidential.
Court documents show that guarantees for his release were provided by Croatia and that Prlic will be staying in the Zagreb area.
Prlic and the other former political and military leaders of Herceg-Bosna -- Defence Minister Bruno Stojic, senior military commanders Milivoj Petkovic and Slobodan Praljak, military police commander Valentin Coric, and the head of the Office for POW Exchange, Berislav Pusic -- have been in the ICTY's custody since 5 April 2004. They are charged with war crimes committed as part of a so-called joint criminal enterprise with Croatian President Franjo Tudjman aimed at ethnically cleansing the territory of Herceg-Bosna and annexing it to Croatia.
The prosecution has recommended that they be found guilty and that Prlic, Stojic, Praljak and Petkovic be sentenced to 40 years, Coric to 35 years and Pusic to 25 years. The defence teams have requested acquittals.
