Vladimir Kovačević
Vladimir Kovačević (born January 15, 1961 in Nikšić, Montenegro) is a Montenegrin Serb military officer who was charged with violation of the laws of war by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) for his actions in the siege of Dubrovnik during the Croatian War of Independence.
Kovačević faced six counts of violations of the laws of war all related to the bombing of the UNESCO Heritage Site of Dubrovnik by the Third Battalion of the JNA 472 (Trebinje) Motorised Brigade, of which he was in command.[1]
His case was originally to be processed along with Pavle Strugar, a higher-ranking commander of the operation,[2] but the trial was split up on November 26, 2003.[1] On January 31, 2005, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia sentenced Strugar to eight years in prison for his role in the 1991 shelling of Dubrovnik.[3][4]
Since 2004 Kovačević has not been fit for trial due to mental health problems.
On July 30, 2007, the Serbian Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor announced the indictment of former Yugoslavia Army Captain Vladimir Kovačević for war crimes associated with the 1991 Siege of Dubrovnik.[5][6][7] The Serbian prosecutor is quoted by Associated Press saying Kovačević was being treated at the Belgrade military hospital and that experts would assess his capacity to attend trial in the future, adding it was not immediately clear when proceedings against Kovacevic could start.
See also
- Bosnian War
- Croatian War of Independence
- International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
- Siege of Dubrovnik
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Case Information Sheet: "Dubrovnik" (IT-01-42/2) Vladimir Kovačević". International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
- ↑ "The Prosecutor of the Tribunal against Pavle Strugar Vladimir Kovacevic: Second Amended Indictment". International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
- ↑ "Judgement in the Case the Prosecutor V. Pavle Strugar". International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Archived from the original on 05 Aug 2009.
- ↑ Hall, Liza (31 Jan 2005). "Yugoslav general sentenced for Dubrovnik siege". JURIST.
- ↑ "TУЖИЛАШТВО ПОДИГЛО ОПТУЖНИЦУ ПРОТИВ ВЛАДИМИРА КОВАЧЕВИЋА "РАМБА" ЗА ГРАНАТИРАЊЕ ДУБРОВНИКА" [Indictments issued against Vladimir Kovačević "Rambo" in the shelling of Dubrovnik] (Press release) (in Serbian). Serbian Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor. 30 Jul 2007.
- ↑ Sung, Michael (30 Jul 2007). "Former Serbia army officer indicted for 1991 Dubrovnik shelling". JURIST.
- ↑ "Serbia's war crimes prosecutor charges ex-army officer in 1991 shelling of Dubrovnik". LawInfo. Associated Press. 30 Jul 2007. Archived from the original on 20 Oct 2007.