Vladimir Lazarević
Vladimir Lazarević | |
---|---|
Army of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (VJ) | |
Battles/wars | Kosovo War |
Awards | Order of Bravery Order of the War Flag |
Vladimir Lazarević (
Early life
General Vladimir Lazarević was born 23 March 1949 in the village of
.Role in the Kosovo War
During the
During the Kosovo War it is alleged by the ICTY and the Prosecution that he "planned, instigated, ordered, committed or otherwise aided and abetted in preparing the alleged crimes".
One of his duties as Chief of Staff of the Priština Corps was to monitor the border between Kosovo and Albania. He has contributed to the performance of joint VJ and MUP operations in the area during the second half of 1998. Lazarević in 1998 was familiar with the fact that against civilians and civilian property are committed serious crimes during the VJ and MUP operations in Kosovo. He was also aware that this has led to the displacement of a significant number of civilians. The ruins of the village of Morina border with Albania, which was shelled by VJ 23 and 24 May 1998. In the coming months, hundreds of ethnic Albanian villages in Kosovo were shelled.
While he was in this position, Lazarević was stationed in Kosovo, first in
Lazarević had de jure and de facto control over the units subordinated to him, including regular Army units, and from the beginning of April 1999.[5] Lazarević was significantly involved in the planning and execution of joint VJ and MUP operations from March to June 1999 in Kosovo that led to the systematic ethnic cleansing of the Albanian population (see Operation Horseshoe).
After the Kosovo War
Following the end of the Kosovo War and Yugoslavia's withdrawal from Kosovo, Lazarević remained Commander of the Priština Corps,[2] he also remained a key supporter and ally of President Slobodan Milošević.[2] He was awarded the Order of Bravery and Order of the War Flag for his role in the Kosovo War.[6] On 28 December 1999, Lazarević was appointed Chief of Staff of the Third Army and later the Commander of the Third Army on 13 March 2000.[1]
After the fall of Milošević and his government, Lazarević was promoted to the rank of Colonel General on 30 December 2000. In early 2002 he was appointed Assistant Chief of the General Staff of the Army. On 1 April 2002 by the decree of Vojislav Koštunica (then president of Yugoslavia), Lazarević was appointed to the position of chief of the ground forces.
In the 2003
Trial and Imprisonment
Vladimir Lazarević was initially indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia on 2 October 2003[5] on the basis of his 'individual criminal responsibility' (per Article 7, paragraph 1 of the ICTY Statute) due to his 'criminal responsibility as hierarchical superior' (per Article 7, paragraph 3 of the ICTY Statute) for the following crimes:[5][8]
Four counts of Crimes against humanity per Article 5 of the ICTY Statute:[5][8][9]
- Deportation
- Inhumane Acts (including forcible transfer)
- Murder
- Persecutions on political, racial and religious grounds
One count of violations of the laws or customs of war per Article 3 of the ICTY Statute:[5][8][9]
- Murder
Lazarević was arrested and transferred to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia on 3 February 2005
On 25 May 2009 both the Prosecution and the Defence filed their notices of appeal[8] and on 20 October 2009 Lazarević's Defence lodged an Appeal to the Hague Tribunal's Appeals Chamber.[9] An appeal was also lodged to have Lazarević provisionally released on 'Compassionate Grounds', however this was rejected by the Appeals Chamber on 17 May 2010.[9]
On 23 January 2014, Lazarević's sentence was reduced to 14 years on appeal.[11] He was granted early release, having served two thirds of his sentence, on 7 September 2015, effective 3 December 2015.[12][13]
Personal life
He is married and has three sons and a grandson and granddaughter[needs update?].
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Bringing justice to victims of international crimes: Vladimir Lazarevic". trial-ch.org. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- ^ a b c d "Hawkish Pristina Corps commander's by-the-book attitude took him to the top – and kept him there through war and revolution". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. 5 December 2005. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- ^ "Ex-VJ colonel: KLA deported Albanians". B92. 8 December 2007. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- ISBN 1564322645.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Transfer of General Vladimir Lazarevic". icty.org. 2 October 2003. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- ISBN 1564322645.
- ISBN 9780801448027.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Legal Procedure: Vladimir Lazarevic". trial-ch.org. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f "The Hague Justice Portal: Vladimir Lazarevic". haguejusticeportal.net. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- ISBN 9780801448027.
- ^ "Convictions for Kosovo crimes upheld for four senior Serbian officials | International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia".
- ^ "Case Information Sheet - ŠAINOVIĆ et al" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-12-22.
- ^ "Former VS general tells of "surviving Hague gallows"".