LEGAL ANALYSIS OF SPECIFIC REGULATIONS REGARDING THE OBLIGATIONS OF ARMY CONSCRIPTS IN A STATE OF WAR OR IN A STATE OF IMMEDIATE DANGER OF WAR

Content:

I Decree of the federal government on restricting travelling abroad of the Yugoslav army's conscripts (Official Gazette of FRY No 16/99, March 28, 1999)

II Analysis of specific criminal acts against the armed forces of FRY (Criminal Law of FRY, Official Gazette No 24/94, March 18, 1994)

III Analysis of the new Decree of the federal government on the application of the Law on Criminal Procedure in a state of war (Official Gazette of FRY  No 21/99, April 4, 1999)

I

The federal government passed this Decree on March 28, 1999, in accordance with the Decision on declaring the state of war passed on March 24, 1999, and in accordance with the article 323, paragraph 2 of the Law on the Yugoslav Army, with the following provisions:

  • army conscripts aged between 18 and 60 are banned from travelling abroad during the declared state of war (Article 1 of this Decree);
  • also, army conscripts are banned from having their passports and visas issued as well as from extending the validity of their passports and visas according to the article 1 of this Decree;
  • Article 3 of the Decree allows for the possibility that if the trip abroad is in the interests of the country's defence and for other justifying reasons, the authorised organ of the general staff of the Yugoslav Army may issue a permit for such a trip.

II

Regulations contained within the Criminal Code of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia regarding the obligations of the army conscripts are as follows:

ARTICLE 214 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE OF FRY FAILURE TO REPORT FOR MILITARY DUTY AFTER BEING CALLED UP BY THE MILITARY AUTHORITIES OR AVOIDING MILITARY SERVICE

Paragraph 1. Whoever does not report for military duty in due time (recruitment, disposition of troops or reception of personal weapons, military service or any other military duty), despite personal or general summons to report for military duty shall be fined or sentenced to one year in prison.

THE PERSONS WHO PERFORM THE SAME CRIMINAL ACT (ARTICLE 214, PARAGRAPH 1) DURING THE STATE OF IMMEDIATE DANGER OF WAR OR THE STATE OF WAR, ACCORDING TO THE ARTICLE 226 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE OF FRY, SHALL BE SENTENCED TO PRISON TERMS RANGING FROM ONE TO TEN YEARS

Paragraph 2. Whoever is concealing himself in order to avoid military service as determined in the paragraph 1, even though that person has been called up by means of personal or general summons to report for military duty, shall be sentenced to prison terms ranging from three months to 5 years.

Paragraph 3. Whoever leaves the country or remains abroad in order to avoid conscription, military training or any other form of military service shall be sentenced to prison term ranging from one to ten years.

THE PERSONS WHO PERFORM THE SAME CRIMINAL ACT (ARTICLE 214, PARAGRAPH 1) DURING THE STATE OF IMMEDIATE DANGER OF WAR OR THE STATE OF WAR, ACCORDING TO THE ARTICLE 226 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE OF FRY, SHALL BE SENTENCED TO PRISON TERMS RANGING FROM FIVE TO TWENTY YEARS 

Paragraph 4. Whoever calls upon or instigates other persons to perform criminal acts as determined in paragraphs 1-3 of this article shall be sentenced to prison term of up to 3 years  for the criminal act from the paragraph 1, and up to 1 year for the criminal act from the paragraph 2 and 3.

Paragraph 5. The person who has committed a criminal act as determined by the articles 2 and 3 may receive lighter punishment or be acquitted if that person reports voluntarily to the authorised state organ.

ARTICLE 217 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE OF FRY DELIBERATE ABANDONING MILITARY SERVICE WITHOUT LEAVE AND  WITHOUT INTENT TO RETURN

Paragraph 1. The member of the armed forces who abandons his military unit or service of his own accord and does not return to report for duty within 10 days or does not report for duty after a permitted leave shall be sentenced to prison term of up to one year.

Paragraph 2. A member of the armed forces who has been absent without leave more than twice and for less than 10 days as well as the member of armed forces who abandons military unit or military service in the course of an important mission or an increased degree of combat readiness.

THE PERSONS WHO PERFORM THE SAME CRIMINAL ACT (ARTICLE 217, PARAGRAPH 1 AND 2) DURING THE STATE OF IMMEDIATE DANGER OF WAR OR THE STATE OF WAR, ACCORDING TO THE ARTICLE 226 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE OF FRY, SHALL BE SENTENCED TO PRISON TERMS RANGING FROM ONE TO TEN YEARS 

Paragraph 3. The member of the armed forces who is concealing himself in order to avoid military service or who abandons military unit or service and does not report for duty within 30 days or does not report for duty within the same time limit after a permitted leave shall be sentenced to prison term ranging from six months to five years.

Paragraph 4. The member of the armed forces who leaves the country or remains abroad in order to avoid military service shall be sentenced to prison term of up to one year.

THE PERSONS WHO PERFORM THE SAME CRIMINAL ACT (ARTICLE 217, PARAGRAPH 1 AND 2) DURING THE STATE OF IMMEDIATE DANGER OF WAR OR THE STATE OF WAR, ACCORDING TO THE ARTICLE 226 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE OF FRY, SHALL BE SENTENCED TO PRISON TERMS RANGING FROM FIVE TO TWENTY YEARS 

Paragraph 5. The member of the armed forces who is preparing his escape abroad in order to avoid military service shall be sentenced to prison term ranging from six months to five years.

THE PERSONS WHO PERFORM THE SAME CRIMINAL ACT (ARTICLE 217, PARAGRAPH AND 2) DURING THE STATE OF IMMEDIATE DANGER OF WAR OR THE STATE OF WAR, ACCORDING TO THE ARTICLE 226 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE OF FRY, SHALL BE SENTENCED TO PRISON TERMS OF AT LEAST ONE YEAR

Paragraph 7. The person who has committed a criminal act as determined by the articles 2 and 3 may receive a lighter punishment or be acquitted if that person reports voluntarily to the authorised state organ.

ARTICLE 95 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE OF FRY STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS

Paragraph 1. If not otherwise prescribed in this law, criminal proceedings cannot be brought after the expiration of the following fixed time limits:

- twenty five years after a criminal act was committed for which capital punishment may be pronounced or 25-year prison sentence;

- fifteen years after a criminal act was committed for which prison sentences of more than ten years may be pronounced;

- ten years after a criminal act was committed for which prison sentences of more than five years may be pronounced;

- five  years after a criminal act was committed for which prison sentences of more than three years may be pronounced;

- three  years after a criminal act was committed for which prison sentences of more than one year may be pronounced;

- two  years after a criminal act was committed for which prison sentences of up to one year or fine may be pronounced.

ARTICLE 96 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE OF FRY PROCEEDINGS AND RESTRICTIONS OF THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS

Paragraph 6. Legal proceedings cannot be brought in any case if twice the length of the prescribed time limit has expired after the Accurrence of the events that gave rise to the cause of action.

III

The new Decree on the application of Law on Criminal Procedure in a state of war prescribes that the provisions of the Law on Criminal Procedure are to be applied during the state of war, unless otherwise prescribed by this Decree. Thereby, trial in absentia, since it is not regulated by this Decree, remains under jurisdiction of the Law on Criminal Procedure, which contains following provisions regarding trials in absentia:

ARTICLE 300 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE OF FRY

Paragraph 3. The defendant may be tried in absentia only if he has fled or concealed himself in order to avoid prosecution, and there exist particularly important reasons for trial in absentia.

Paragraph 4. The decision on the trial in absentia is made by the Council at the request of the prosecutor. The appeal does not adjourn the execution of this decision.

ARTICLE 410 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE OF FRY

Paragraph 1. The criminal proceedings in the course of which a person was sentenced in absentia (Article 300), yet the circumstances allow for the possibility of a trial in the presence of that person, shall be renewed in spite of the provisions prescribed in articles 404 and 405 of this Law, if the convicted person or his lawyer submit the request for a renewed trial within a year from the date when the defendant learnt of the sentence pronounced in his absentia.

Paragraph 2. The court shall determine in a decision allowing a renewed trial, according to the paragraph 1 of this article, that the indictment be delivered to the convicted person if it has not been delivered before. The court also may determine that the case be reversed to the investigation phase of the process, i.e. to order the investigation as if it were not carried out.

Paragraph 3. After the expiration of the time limit as determined by the paragraph 1 of this article, as well as in the case when a renewed trial has been requested at the expense of the defendant tried in absentia, the renewal of the legal proceedings is allowed only under conditions as prescribed in the articles 404 and 405 of this Law.

The articles 404 and 405 prescribe the conditions for the renewal of the criminal proceedings which have been concluded with a valid sentence.