UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- A UN official on the prevention of genocide has welcomed the conviction of Ratko Mladic, a former Bosnian Serb military commander, for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Mladic was found guilty of the crimes and was sentenced to life imprisonment by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague on Wednesday.
Adama Dieng, the UN secretary-general's special adviser on the prevention of genocide, expressed satisfaction at the verdict against Mladic for his role in the 1992-1995 Bosnian War.
"Today is a historic day. The verdict by the ICTY against Ratko Mladic sends a clear message that there is no space for impunity and that justice will prevail," Dieng said in a statement.
Dieng paid homage to the victims of the crimes committed by Mladic, honored their courage and perseverance in the pursuit of justice and expressed solidarity with them.
"This verdict renders justice to those who suffered as a result of the atrocity crimes committed by Mr. Mladic. Nothing can erase the horrors of the past, but they can now have the comfort of knowing that Mr. Mladic will face punishment appropriate to the crimes he committed. This verdict provides victims with some measure of redress so that they can move forward with their lives."
Dieng stressed that criminal accountability is not only about the past but is also about the future. "Accountability constitutes a critical component of prevention and also an important step on the path to reconciliation. ... I hope that this verdict, as well as past decisions by the ICTY, will encourage the region to think about what happened, learn the lessons of the past and chart a future that fully acknowledges those lessons."
The verdict against Mladic means the conclusion of the work of the ICTY after issuing 161 indictments.
