Hague grants Pavković temporary release

Ex-JNA General Nebojsa Pavkovic will be accorded temporary release tomorrow, the Hague announced this morning. Pavkovic is on trial at the Hague Tribunal for war crimes committed in Kosovo in 1999. Hague grants Pavkovic temporary release Under the ruling of the trial chamber headed by Ian Bonomy, Pavkovic will be allowed to stay in Serbia until March 31 “for humanitarian reasons.”Originally, Pavkovic was to be set free today, but that was postponed due to a misunderstanding over one of the conditions stipulated in that ruling. The trial chamber originally ruled that the retired general should be under 24-hour “electronic surveillance” by the Serbian authorities. The Serbian government wrote back, saying that a system of electronic surveillance was not envisaged by domestic laws, and that the Serbian police did not possess such a system. The government explained that Pavkovic would be under permanent supervision by police officers who would be in his house. The general’s defense stated that, furthermore, his house was equipped with video surveillance. The judges accepted those arguments and ruled that he be set free tomorrow. Pavkovic is standing trial for war crimes committed in Kosovo in the first half of 1999, together with former President of Serbia Milan Milutinovic, Deputy Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Nikola Sainovic, and Generals Dragoljub Ojdanic, Vladimir Lazarevic and Sreten Lukic. Nebojsa Pavkovic (FoNet, archive)

Hague grants Pavković temporary release

Under the ruling of the trial chamber headed by Ian Bonomy, Pavković will be allowed to stay in Serbia until March 31 “for humanitarian reasons.”Originally, Pavković was to be set free today, but that was postponed due to a misunderstanding over one of the conditions stipulated in that ruling.

The trial chamber originally ruled that the retired general should be under 24-hour “electronic surveillance” by the Serbian authorities.

The Serbian government wrote back, saying that a system of electronic surveillance was not envisaged by domestic laws, and that the Serbian police did not possess such a system.

The government explained that Pavković would be under permanent supervision by police officers who would be in his house.

The general’s defense stated that, furthermore, his house was equipped with video surveillance.

The judges accepted those arguments and ruled that he be set free tomorrow.

Pavković is standing trial for war crimes committed in Kosovo in the first half of 1999, together with former President of Serbia Milan Milutinović, Deputy Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Nikola Šainović, and Generals Dragoljub Ojdanić, Vladimir Lazarević and Sreten Lukić.