Sentence upheld for one, reduced for 3 former officials

THE HAGUE The Hague Tribunal sentenced on appeal Nikola Sainovic to 18, Nebojsa Pavkovic to 22, Sreten Lukic to 20, and Vladimir Lazarevic to 14 years in prison. After considering the appeals filed by the defense and the prosecution in relation to the first-instance verdict, Sainovic's sentence was reduced by four years, Lukic's by two, and Lazarevic's by one year. The original decision to send Pavkovic to jail for 22 years was upheld today. Sentence upheld for one, reduced for 3 former officials The first instance verdict from 2009 found all four guilty of a campaign of mass expulsions of ethnic Albanians in 1999, during which, according to the Trial Chamber, at least 700,000 left Kosovo. During the war, Sainovic was vice president of the Yugoslav federal government, Pavkovic was commander of the Third Army of the Yugoslav military (VJ), Lukic was chief of staff of the Serbian MUP in Kosovo, and Lazarevic chief of staff of the VJ Pristina Corps. Although granting some of the defendants appeals, the Appeals Chamber affirmed the assessment of the Trial Chamber that the four were members of a joint criminal enterprise headed by Slobodan Milosevic, who was also on trial at The Hague for the same crime, but died before the process completed. Their defense was substantially based on the acquittal of former VJ General Momcilo Perisic by the same court, and argued that combat operations of the military and police did not aim to drive out Albanian civilians. Former Serbian President Milan Milutinovic was named in the same indictment but was acquitted of all charges in the first degree ruling. Former VJ chief of staff Dragoljub Ojdanic was sentenced to 15 years in prison but then reached a deal with the prosecution. Ojdanic accepted the statements made in the first instance judgment, and the prosecution decided not to appeal. Thus Ojdanic was last year released from prison after serving two-thirds of the sentence. (Tanjug) B92

Sentence upheld for one, reduced for 3 former officials

The first instance verdict from 2009 found all four guilty of a campaign of mass expulsions of ethnic Albanians in 1999, during which, according to the Trial Chamber, at least 700,000 left Kosovo.

During the war, Šainović was vice president of the Yugoslav federal government, Pavković was commander of the Third Army of the Yugoslav military (VJ), Lukić was chief of staff of the Serbian MUP in Kosovo, and Lazarević chief of staff of the VJ Priština Corps.

Although granting some of the defendants appeals, the Appeals Chamber affirmed the assessment of the Trial Chamber that the four were members of a joint criminal enterprise headed by Slobodan Milošević, who was also on trial at The Hague for the same crime, but died before the process completed.

Their defense was substantially based on the acquittal of former VJ General Momčilo Perišić by the same court, and argued that combat operations of the military and police did not aim to drive out Albanian civilians.

Former Serbian President Milan Milutinović was named in the same indictment but was acquitted of all charges in the first degree ruling. Former VJ chief of staff Dragoljub Ojdanić was sentenced to 15 years in prison but then reached a deal with the prosecution.

Ojdanić accepted the statements made in the first instance judgment, and the prosecution decided not to appeal. Thus Ojdanić was last year released from prison after serving two-thirds of the sentence.