UN TRIBUNAL TEMPORARILY RELEASES FORMER TOP YUGOSLAV OFFICIAL FROM JAIL

UN TRIBUNAL TEMPORARILY RELEASES FORMER TOP YUGOSLAV OFFICIAL FROM JAIL New York, Oct 2 2008 3:10PM The United Nations war crimes tribunal set up in the wake of the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s has granted temporary release to a former senior Yugoslav government figure facing trial over an alleged campaign of terror and violence against Kosovo Albanians and other non-Serbs in 1999.

Nikola Šainović, a former deputy prime minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, has been allowed by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), which is based in The Hague, to return to Serbia from today until 17 October to seek medical treatment.

Announcing the decision today, the ICTY trial chamber <"http://www.un.org/icty/pressreal/2008/pr1286e.htm">said Mr. Šainovi&#263;'s temporary release was subject to several strict conditions, including 24-hour surveillance of the accused by Serbian authorities.

Mr. Šainovic is on trial with five others – Milan Milutinovi&#263;, Nebojša Pavkovi&#263;, Dragoljub Ojdani&#263;, Vladimir Lazarevi&#263; and Sreten Luki&#263; – over an alleged campaign of terror and violence directed against Kosovo Albanians and other non-Serbs living in Kosovo in 1999. All six men face charges of murder, deportation, forcible transfer and the persecution of thousands of Kosovo Albanians and other non-Serbs.

Mr. Lazarevi&#263; was also granted provisional release by the ICTY, in his case from today until 27 October, but the decision was stayed after prosecutors filed an appeal. Applications for provisional release by Mr. Pavkovi&#263; and Mr. Luki&#263; were denied.
The trial of the six men began in July 2006, and closing arguments in the case concluded on 27 August this year.
2008-10-02 00:00:00.000

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