Those two were charged by act 7. of the Tribunal Statute referring to the commanding responsibility, since both held high positions in Celebic county in the period April-December 1992.

Just a month prior to this ruling, prosecutor suggested a sentence of 10 years in prison for Delacic and 20 years in prison for Mucic.

For Bosnian Muslims, Hazim Delic and Esad Landz, prosecution suggested life sentences.

During the trial that started in March last year prosecution didn't allow the witnesses to talk about the events that took place outside of the prison camp, claiming that "they were not the subject of the indictment" thus intentionally protecting high Muslim officials.

Two camp prisoners who testified in Hague last November, on their return to Belgrade said that prosecutor Grant Niman asked them not to talk about the crimes that occurred outside the camp, whether Alija Izetbegovic visited the Celebici camp or how prisoners unloaded weapons that arrived in trucks marked as International Red Cross.

"Prosecutor didn't ask us about the murders that took place in the camp either. Much pain and suffering of the prisoners was not mentioned although it was there in my statements. He didn't ask me about the visits of Izetbegovic and other high officials to Celebice, although I gave account of them in my statement to Tribunal investigators in Timisoara in January 1996," said at the time one of the two Serbian witnesses.

The other witness said that when he asked the prosecutor Juliano Turone if he could mention who slaughtered his parents he replied that it was irrelevant since only those who were in the courtroom were being prosecuted.

His parents used to live in Zukic village in Konjic County were there were only three Serbian households. In the period April-December 1992 Muslim-Croatian forces drove away 7700 Serbs from Konjic County alone (only 280 Serbs remained), 165 Serbian civilians were slaughtered and 130 Serbian women raped. That is when all the Serbs from Zukici village were killed.

"Although I mentioned in my written statement that I was unloading ammunition from large vehicles bearing marks of International Red Cross and Red Crescent, the prosecutor didn't ask me about it," said the witness.

As a commander of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Army Tactic Unit One and the commander of the Civil defense for Konjic, Jablanica and Prozor counties, Delalic was a key figure and by his line of command had to be aware of the events in Konjica county in 1992. Fact is that he was promoted to colonel rank by Izetbegovic himself.

Prosecution however persistently tried to minimize his responsibility, thus intentionally protecting top Muslim officials.

In an attempt to save his skin, on April 15, last year Delalic gave an interview to "Free Herzegovina" over the telephone surpassingly enough right from the prison in Sheveningen and disclosed names of 48 witnesses, which was a flagrant violation of a basic Tribunal rule of granting anonymity to witnesses.

In that interview Delalic claimed that some eight to nine members of Croatian forces were responsible for "alleged slaughter of Serbs" in Konjic county and that court is now only blaming him (Delalic).

"If they find me guilty, this automatically carries the guilt to Safer Halilovich and Alija Izetbegovic. My sentencing would directly open the way to those two," said Delalic in that interview.

When Tribunal realized where the Celebici case was heading they struck an agreement with Delalic and he was released. The other three men had to take all the blame as direct participants in the crimes - the deputy of the camp commander Hazim Delic and the guard Esad Landz. When he sensed what was going on, Lanzo decided to talk. In August this year, as trial was coming to a close he blamed Delic for everything, as he was his superior.

As press reported, both prosecution and defence were surprised by his confession.

Landzo then admitted that before he left for Hague he was warned by Bosnian Supreme Court judge to act wisely because "the one who admits gets partly pardoned, but the one who denies everything is completely pardoned."

Delic and Landz were obviously not pardoned. The first one got 20 years in prison, the other, in view of his age, 15 years in prison.

Delalic was acquitted and left the courtroom with a triumphant smile. Mucic as well, as foreign media reported, seemed pretty relieved with a symbolic sentence of 7 years in prison.

Bitter taste of Hague "justice" remained only in the souls of Serbian victims, especially Gordana Cecez and Milojka Antic who came to Hague as unprotected witnesses, victims of rape, to publicly talk about their sufferings.

• Basic principles of the international law violated
• Tribunal is a framework for political goals of the powerful
• Legal and moral credibility of the Tribunal in Hague
• The Hague Tribunal and the crimes on Kosmet - Orwellian fantasy of powerful people
• Democracy Development Fund Sends Letter to Gabriella Kirk McDonald, Judge of the Hague Tribunal
• Hague Tribunal trump card for blackmailing
• Verdict in Celebici case is political sentence to FR Yugoslavia and Serbs
• Deceiving Role of Prosecution in Celebici Case
• Delalic's Acquittal Closes the Path to Izetbegovic
• Yugoslav Army in municipality of Konjic wasn't involved in the conflicts
• Dragan Gagovic - another Serb secretly accused and killed, without a right to defend himself