ATLANTA - A federal judge awarded a total of $140 million in damages Monday to four Bosnian Muslims who claimed they were beaten and tortured by a former Bosnian-Serb soldier at the outbreak of the 1992 war. <br>
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The four men -- two of whom now live in the United States -- had filed a lawsuit against the guard in 1998, taking advantage of laws allowing torture victims to seek redress in United States courts, even if the offenses occurred elsewhere. <br>
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In an 86-page order filed Monday, U.S. District Judge Marvin Shoob awarded $35 million each to Kemal Mehinovic, Muhamed Bicic, Safet Hadzialijagic and Hasan Subasic. <br>
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In a bench trial in October, they testified that they were detained, beaten, tortured and humiliated at the hands of Nikola Vuckovic and other Bosnian Serb soldiers <br>
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Vuckovic sought asylum in the United States in 1997 and was living in an Atlanta suburb when the suit was filed. <br>
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He didn't show up for the trial, and his whereabouts are still unknown.
