U.N. Yugoslav tribunal orders independent review of Praljak death

FILE PHOTO: A wartime commander of Bosnian Croat forces, Slobodan Praljak, is seen during a hearing at the U.N. war crimes tribunal in the Hague, Netherlands, November 29, 2017. ICTY via REUTERS TV

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The U.N. Yugoslav tribunal on Friday said it has launched its own independent review into the death of former Bosnian Croat military leader Slobodan Praljak.

Praljak died shortly after drinking poison in the courtroom after hearing his 20 year conviction for war crimes upheld on Nov. 29, raising questions of how he was able to obtain a lethal substance and smuggle it into the courtroom..

The tribunal said it aims to complete its own review, which will run in parallel to a Dutch criminal investigation, by the end of the year.

Bosnian Croats pray and light candles for the convicted general Slobodan Praljak, who killed himself seconds after the verdict in the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague, in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina November 29, 2017. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

(Reporting by Toby Sterling, Editing by William Maclean)