Raad van Europa-chef Van der Linden tevreden over arrestatie Gotovina (en)

Strasbourg, 08.12.2005 - Mr René van der Linden i, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), today expressed his satisfaction that Ante Gotovina, a Croatian war crimes suspect who has for many years been amongst those most wanted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, was today arrested in Spain.

"The judicial process offered by the ICTY is absolutely essential in ensuring justice for crimes committed during the conflicts of the 1990s," said Mr van der Linden. "In turn, the justice it provides is an effective means of reconciling the peoples of that troubled region and of establishing a reliable historical record of the tragic events. The Parliamentary Assembly has always supported the ICTY and therefore welcomes the fact that one of its most wanted suspects will now be brought before the courts. I congratulate the Spanish authorities on their action and encourage other member States to follow their example. I hope that this development is soon followed by the arrest and trial of the fugitives from justice Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, who have also been on the run for an unacceptably long time."

Contact:

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