"Monster of Grbavica" Given 45 Year Sentence

Former Bosnian Serb paramilitary fighter found guilty of crimes against humanity committed during the 1992-1995 war

A former member of the Bosnian Serb paramilitary forces has been jailed for 45 years for carrying out a reign of terror against Sarajevo civilians during the 1992-1995 war.

Veselin Vlahovic, dubbed the "Monster of Grbavica", was "found guilty of crimes against humanity and this tribunal is sentencing him to 45 years in prison," judge Zoran Bozic said on Friday.

"During systematic repression against the non-Serb population he participated in expulsion of his victims, he committed murders, he tortured, raped and imprisoned his victims," the judge told a packed Sarajevo courtroom.

The sentence against Vlahovic, a Montenegrin, a is the most severe delivered for war crimes by a Bosnian court.