Ex-Yugoslav army leader acquitted by UN war crimes judges February 28, 2013 - 20:24 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - UN war crimes judges on Thursday, February 28 found the former head of the Yugoslav army not guilty of aiding and abetting atrocities committed in Bosnia and Croatia during the 1990s and ordered his immediate release, Reuters said. They ruled that Momcilo Perisic, chief of the general staff of the Yugoslav army, had provided military support to the ethnic Serb Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) forces in Bosnia, but that he had not ordered them to commit war crimes. "The VRS undertook, inter alia, lawful combat activities and was not a purely criminal organization," said Theodor Meron, president of the appeals chamber at the tribunal in The Hague. "While Mr Perisic may have known of VRS crimes, the Yugoslav Army aid he facilitated was directed towards the VRS's general war effort rather than VRS crimes." Rebel Serbs fought to carve out an ethnically Serb state in Bosnia between 1992 and 1995 after its Muslims and Croats voted for independence from Serbian-led federal Yugoslavia. Serb forces committed some of the gravest crimes in post-war European history during Yugoslavia's break-up, including the massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica, and the siege of Sarajevo in which more than 10,000 civilians died.   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news Mirzoyan says meeting with Bayramov was “constructive”  At the moment, Ararat Mirzoyan said, there is no basis for additional comments.OSCE vows support for Armenia “in all three directions of security” Achieving stable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains a priority of the OSCE, said Ian Borg.151 detained as civil disobedience campaigns continue in Yerevan Citizens have been blocking streets in the Armenian capital, demanding Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation.France welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan meeting in Almaty France has welcomed the new round of negotiations between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan. |
