Bosnian War Survivors Protest Speech By UN Tribunal Chief

Theodor Meron, takes part in the conference in Sarajevo on November 27.

War survivors and civil activists have protested a speech in Sarajevo by the president of the UN war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, marking the 20th anniversary of the court's founding.

Before Judge Theodor Meron started speaking, a group of young activists unfurled a banner that read "R.I.P. Justice" and once Meron began his speech, a group of mothers whose children were killed in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia-Herzegovina stood up and turned their backs to him.

Protesters were angry that an appeals court led by Meron had acquitted several top Serbian officials, including five officials who were released this year despite having been sentenced earlier to decades in prison for their roles in the wars in the former Yugoslavia during the 1990s.

Many protesters said they were venting their anger specifically at Meron, not at the tribunal.

Based on reporting by AFP and AP