国际英语新闻:Former Serb officials sentenced to 22 years imprisonment

THE HAGUE, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Mico Stanisic and Stojan Zupljanin, two former high ranked Bosnian Serb officials, were sentenced to 22 years imprisonment by the trial chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal on Wednesday.

Stanisic and Zupljanin were convicted for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed against non-Serb civilians in various areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina between April and December 1992.

The 58-year-old Stanisic was a minister in the newly established Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was convicted of crimes committed in 20 municipalities throughout Bosnia, although he was not found guilty of extermination.

The 61-year-old Zupljanin was the chief of the regional security services center of the city of Banja Luka, and also a member of the crisis staff of the Autonomous Region of Krajina. The trial chamber today convicted him of crimes committed in eight municipalities in Bosnia.

Stanisic and Zupljanin were initially indicted by the Tribunal in 2005 and 1999 respectively. Stanisic surrendered and was transferred into the Tribunal's custody on March 11, 2005. Zupljanin was arrested by Serbian authorities and brought to the Tribunal's Detention Unit on June 21, 2008.

In September 2008, both cases were joined. They can appeal against Wednesday's decision.