The United Nations War Crimes Tribunal has ordered the immediate release of a Bosnian Croat suspect who gave himself up to the court in October.

It follows the decision by the chief prosecutor to drop charges against Marinko Katavabecause there was insufficient evidence against him.

The court is now deciding whether two other Bosnian Croat suspects Pero Skopljak and Ivan Santic should also be released.

They were facing charges arising from a Croat campaign of ethnic cleansing in the Lasva Valley in central Bosnia in 1993, in which hundreds of Muslims were killed.

Meanwhile, one of the two Bosnian Croat war crimes suspects seized by NATO-led forces in Bosnia- Hercegovina on Thursday has appeared before the court.

Anto Furundzija denied all the charges against him.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
 

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