War Crimes Hearing Halted After Defendant Claims to Drink Poison

The session was meant to mark the final act of a 24-year legal process over the atrocities of the Bosnian and Croatian wars. Instead, it descended into chaos and confusion.

Judges at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia were in the midst of delivering appeals rulings on Wednesday involving six defendants over Croatia’s often-overlooked involvement in the Bosnian conflict. They upheld two of the sentences before moving on to Slobodan Praljak, who had been sentenced to 20 years in prison for war crimes linked to his involvement in an offensive against a Bosnian town.

But when judges announced that they had upheld the sentence against Mr. Praljak, he addressed the bench in Croat. In a solemn voice, he said: “Slobodan Praljak is not a war criminal. I reject your judgment with contempt.”

Mr. Praljak then raised a small vial and drank from it. His lawyer called out, “Our client says he took poison.” Mr. Praljak was taken from the courtroom shortly afterward, and the hearing was suspended.

Dutch police officers and an ambulance rushed to the tribunal, seated in The Hague, but no immediate report on Mr. Praljak’s condition was available. Rulings on the remaining three appeals have yet to be announced.

The case in The Hague draws attention to Croatia’s role in the Bosnian war.

The tribunal has for the past 24 years largely focused on the dominant Serbian role in the conflict, most recently sentencing Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb military commander, to life in prison for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.