UN Court Sentences Former Serb Leader to 40 Years in Prison

Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic was found guilty on 10 counts of crimes against humanity and violations of the Geneva Convention and was sentenced to 40 years in jail, an international criminal tribunal at The Hague ruled today.

It was considered a landmark case against one of the alleged masterminds of the Serb atrocities during Bosnia's 1992-95 war that left 100,000 people dead.

Karadzic, who appeared in court, was faced with 11 charges, including two counts of genocide.

Karadzic, 70, insisted he was innocent and said his actions were intended to protect Serbs during the war. He plans to appeal the convictions.

Prosecutors held Karadzic responsible for the deplorable actions taken by Serb military forces, including the years-long deadly siege of Sarajevo and the 1995 massacre of 8,000 Bosnian men and boys in the Srebrenica enclave - Europe's worst slaughter since World War II.

The Associated Press contributed to the report.