UN appeals court increases sentences for 2 Serbs convicted of crimes in Balkan wars

United Nations appeals judges on Wednesday significantly expanded the convictions of two allies of late Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, holding them responsible for involvement in crimes across Bosnia and in one town in Croatia as members of a joint criminal plan to drive out non-Serbs from the areas during the Balkan wars.

The appeals chamber at the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunal overturned their acquittals of involvement in the criminal plan and raised the sentences of Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic from 12 to 15 years.

Neither man showed any emotion as Presiding Judge Graciela Gatti Santana passed sentence.

Stanisic was in court for the hearing, while Simatovic watched by video link from a U.N. detention unit.

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