 Milan Babic was an ally of Slobodan Milosevic |
A former senior Croatian Serb leader charged with murdering and persecuting non-Serbs has appeared at The Hague war crimes tribunal. Milan Babic, 47, was indicted last week for crimes against humanity and war crimes during the 1990s.
His appearance at the tribunal had not been expected.
Mr Babic, who declined to enter a plea, was an ally of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, himself on trial for alleged war crimes.
The charges in the indictment relate to a Serb revolt against Croatian independence between 1991 and 1992.
It says that the Serbs aimed to remove most of the Croat and other non-Serb population from a third of Croatia's territory.
In one of the incidents, prosecutors say Serb forces killed 56 civilians near the village of Bacin.
Mr Babic was given 30 days to enter his plea.
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