Sreten Lukić

Sreten Lukić (Serbian Cyrillic: Сретен Лукић, born 28 March 1955 Višegrad, FPR Yugoslavia) was head of the Serbian police in Kosovo during the 1998-99 Kosovo and subsequently Serbian deputy interior minister from 2001 to 2004. He was indicted in 2003 for alleged war crimes committed by Serb police forces in Kosovo.[1][2][3]

From May 1998, Sreten Lukić was Head of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) Staff for Kosovo & Metohija and from June 1999 he was Assistant Chief of the Public Security Service (RJB) and the Chief of Border Administration of the Border Police in the MUP. He was appointed Assistant Minister and Chief of the RJB on 31 January 2001 and remained as Assistant Minister until sacked by the Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica in March 2004.[2][4]

He was indicted for crimes against humanity and violations of the customs of war by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) with three other Serbian police and army generals, former chief of staff General Nebojša Pavković, former Army General Vladimir Lazarević and Police General Vlastimir Đorđević.[1] The indictment charged the four with having “planned, instigated, ordered, committed or otherwise aided and abetted in a deliberate and widespread or systematic campaign of terror and violence directed at Kosovo Albanian civilians living in Kosovo”.[1]

Lukić surrendered and was transferred to the ICTY on 4 April 2005. He pleaded not guilty to all counts.[4] He eventually stood trial with Milan Milutinović, Nikola Šainović, Dragoljub Ojdanić, Pavković and Lazarević for crimes committed in the territory of Kosovo, beginning on or about 1 January 1999 and continuing until 20 June 1999.[4] On 26 February 2009, Lukić was found guilty by the Trial Chamber of a number of charges and sentenced to 22 years of imprisonment. He was convicted of crimes including deportation, other inhumane acts (forcible transfer), murder, persecutions on political, racial or religious grounds (crimes against humanity) and murder (violations of the laws or customs of war).[4]

Lukić was ruled to have had the intent to forcibly displace part of the Kosovo Albanian population, both within and outside of Kosovo, and thereby ensure continued control by the Former Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and Serbian authorities over the province: his participation in the "joint criminal enterprise" in Kosovo said to be responsible for committing crimes specified in the judgement in Peć, Dečani, Đakovica, Prizren, Orahovac, Suva Reka, Srbica, Kosovska Mitrovica, Vučitrn, Pristina, Gnjilane, Uroševac and Kačanik.[4]

Upon appeal, his sentence was reduced to 20 years on 23 January 2014.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Jovana Gec, Top "Serbian war crimes suspect arrives at the Hague tribunal", ekathimerini.com, 5 April 2005; accessed 24 November 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Indicted Serbian minister sacked", BBC News; accessed 10 April 2015.
  3. ↑ ICTY Pavković et al. indictment, icty.org; accessed 10 April 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 ICTY Šainović, et al Case History, accessed 24 November 2010.
  5. ↑ http://www.icty.org/en/press/convictions-kosovo-crimes-upheld-four-senior-serbian-officials
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