Srebrenica massacre was genocide

But in a move that sparked outrage among relatives of the Srebrenica dead, the appeals chamber of The Hague-based court overturned the conviction of a Bosnian Serb general who led troops into the UN-protected enclave where more than 7,000 Muslim boys and men were killed.

Instead, Radislav Krstic, who in 2001 became the first man found guilty of genocide over the worst atrocity in Europe since World War II, saw his conviction reduced to for aiding and abbetting the genocide.

Tap Here to Add The Daily Star As A Trusted Source

"The appeals chamber... calls the massacre at Srebrenica by its proper name: genocide. Those responsible will bear this stigma, and it will serve as a warning to those who may in future contemplate the comssion of such a heinous act," said presiding judge Theodor Meron.

Krstic -- described in the 2001 verdict as a man who had "personally agreed to evil" -- was twitching nervously as the verdict was read out but appeared relieved when the court said his sentence had been reduced.

"The trial chamber... sets aside Radislav Krstic's conviction as a participant in a joint criminal enterprise to commit genocide and finds (him) guilty of aiding and abetting genocide," Meron said.