At the United Nation's tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, the prosecution has demanded that seven former senior Bosnian-Serb officials be given life sentences. They are accused of involvement in the massacre of some 7,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica in 1995.

Among the accused are several close associates of former army chief Ratko Mladic, including Ljubisa Beara. He was security chief of Bosnian-Serb forces’ general staff at the time, and is suspected of playing a key role in the Srebrenica massacre.

The seven defendants have been on trial for three years. Ratko Mladic is still at large.

photo: reburial of Srebrenica victims (ANP)