Kosovo (International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia)

United Nations, 26 February 2009 - Daily Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary General. Five former high-ranking Yugoslav and Serbian political, military and police officials were today convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for crimes against humanity committed in Kosovo in 1999. The former Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister and two generals were each sentenced to 22 years imprisonment for crimes against humanity and war crimes. Two other senior army officials were found guilty of aiding and abetting the deportation and forcible transfer of ethnic Albanians from Kosovo, and each was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.
The Tribunals Trial Chamber 3 said that former Serbian President Milan Milutinović did not have direct individual control over the Army, a federal institution; instead, it ruled, in practice, it was President Slobodan Milošević who exercised actual command authority over the Army during the campaign. The former Serbian President was therefore acquitted on all counts.