(14 Jan 2000) Bosnian/Serbo-Croat/Nat
Surviving residents of the village of Ahmici reacted with anger on Friday at what they consider to be light sentences imposed on five Bosnian Croats - convicted of carrying out a massacre there in 1993.
The International War Crimes Tribunal imposed sentences of six to 25 years for the group.
Three of the guilty men were even residents of the central Bosnian village.
Seven years after the carnage which saw more than a hundred people slain because of their religion, the remains of the village mosque in Ahmici are relatively untouched.
Not so, the villagers themselves.
Suffering years of torment, Friday's announcement at the Hague was a particularly bitter blow for people who lost more than a dozen family members in the carnage.
Three of the guilty men - brothers Zoran and Mirjan Kupreskic, and cousin Vlatko - lived in this house.
They were given terms of up to ten years for their part in the massacre.
Just down the road, their neighbours - the victims' families, who watched incredulously on television as they heard the news.
Savaheta Pezera lost more than 19 family members.
SOUNDBITE: (Bosnian)
"We are not satisfied with the verdict. This is too small for the crime that was committed. 120 of our villagers were killed and this verdict is not going to bring our people back."
SUPER CAPTION: Savaheta Pezera, Family member of victims
Bahra Ahmic feels equally devastated.
SOUNDBITE: (Bosnian)
"I think that these people have suffered a big injustice. This verdict is not enough - six, eight years in jail."
SUPER CAPTION: Bahra Ahmic, Victims' niece
Vladimir Santic, commander of a local police battalion, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for crimes against humanity for murdering and passing on orders from superiors to men under his command.
Co-perpetrator Drago Josipovic was sentenced to 15 years.
Even these terms are not enough for Mirsad Ahmic, whose parents died at the hands of the Bosnian Croatian soldiers.
SOUNDBITE: (Bosnian)
"When a man kills a man he gets 20 years in prison. 120 people were killed in this village and this is not enough. What does this mean - six, eight, ten years? This is not enough. We are not satisfied with this."
SUPER CAPTION: Mirsad Ahmic, Victims' son
The memories of April 16th, 1993, haunt the small Bosnian village.
Snow fell lightly on the town on Friday - seven years ago, it was bombs and bullets.
This was the scene soon after the massacre.
Croatian soldiers peppered the streets - devastated buildings and dozens of bodies surrounding them.
At least 103 Muslims, including 33 women and children, were killed.
Entire families were gunned down, scores of houses were burned and two mosques were destroyed.
People were burned alive.
All 172 Muslim houses were destroyed, while not a single Croat home was touched.
These are the images seared on the minds of the villagers who survived.
It would appear that for these people, no amount of justice could possibly appease them.
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