Global Policy Forum

Ex-Navy Chief Jailed for Shelling

Print
Courier Mail
March 19, 2004


The United Nations war crimes court today sentenced Miodrag Jokic, a former commander of the Yugoslav navy, to seven years imprisonment for the shelling of the medieval Croatian city of Dubrovnik in 1991. Jokic, a retired vice-admiral in the Yugoslav navy, pleaded guilty in August last year to war crimes charges, including murder, cruel treatment, attacks on civilians and destruction of historic monuments. The Yugoslav army launched a naval attack on the Adriatic city in October 1991, four months after Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia, a move which triggered a four-year brutal war against Belgrade-backed rebel Serbs. During the three-month siege of Dubrovnik more than 50 people died and many more were wounded in a series of bombardments. Hundreds of historical buildings in Dubrovnik's Old Town district, a UNESCO world heritage site, were damaged or destroyed. The shelling of the walled city by the Yugoslav army was one of the darkest periods in the 1991-1995 war. The bombs falling on "the pearl of the Adriatic" received massive media attention at the time. In all more than 25,000 people died during Croatia's war. During the period under question in the case against Jokic - October 23 to December 6, 1991 - "hundreds of shells impacted in the Old Town" and two civilians were killed in the bombardments, according to the indictment. Besides Jokic two other men are charged over the Dubrovnik attacks. Former Yugoslav general Pavle Strugar is currently on trial for war crimes before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague. Strugar headed an operational group formed by the Yugoslav army to conduct the military campaign against the Dubrovnik region. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Vladimir Kovacevic, a former Yugoslav army officer, was transferred to the UN court in October 2003. His case has been delayed pending psychiatric tests after he complained of claustrophobia. Charges against a fourth suspect, Milan Zec, were withdrawn by the tribunal in June 2002 because of insufficient evidence against him.


More Information on International Justice
More Information on the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia
More Information on International Criminal Tribunals and Special Courts

 

FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Global Policy Forum distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.