Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic has been convicted of
genocide and war crimes during the 1992-95 war, and sentenced to 40 years in
jail.
Karadzic, 70, is the most senior political figure to face judgement over
the violent collapse of Yugoslavia
His case is being seen as one of the most important war crimes trials
since World War Two.
He had denied the charges, saying that any atrocities committed were the
actions of rogue individuals, not the forces under his command.
The trial, in which he represented himself, lasted eight years.
Mr Karadzic was also found guilty of orchestrating a campaign known as
"ethnic cleansing" of non-Serbs from the territory of the breakaway
Bosnian Serb republic, in which hundreds and thousands were driven from their
homes.
He would only be expected to serve two-thirds of his sentence. His time
spent in detention - slightly more than seven years - will count towards the
total.
Top UN human rights official Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein welcomed the
verdict as "hugely significant".
He said the trial "should give pause to leaders across Europe and elsewhere who seek to exploit nationalist
sentiments and scapegoat minorities for broader social ills".
At least 100,000 people in total died during fighting in the Bosnian war.
The conflict lasted nearly four years before a US-brokered peace deal brought
it to an end in 1995.
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