MICT rejects new early release bid by war criminal Milan Martic

It was the second time this year that Martic's request had been rejected, following an earlier decision in February. The ruling was issued by Graciela Gatti Santana, president of the UN. war crimes court's successor tribunal.

Martic, the former president of the self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina, is serving a 35-year prison sentence after the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia convicted him in 2007 of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including persecution, murder, torture, deportation and attacks on civilians. His conviction was upheld on appeal in 2008, and he has been serving his sentence in Estonia since 2009.

Martic became eligible to apply for early release after serving two-thirds of his sentence. However, the MICT found that the seriousness of his crimes and the lack of convincing signs of rehabilitation did not justify granting his request.

The decision noted that although Martić had maintained good conduct in prison, he had failed to accept responsibility for his crimes, demonstrate a critical assessment of his actions or express genuine remorse towards the victims. Gatti Santana concluded that he had therefore not achieved the level of rehabilitation required for early release.

During Croatia's 1991-95 war, Martic held senior political and security positions in the rebel Serb leadership. His convictions include responsibility for the May 1995 rocket attacks on Zagreb, which killed and injured civilians.

The tribunal also rejected Martic's arguments relating to his age and health, finding that he had failed to demonstrate serious medical or humanitarian grounds warranting early release.