Serbian court sentenced world leaders to 20 years in prison for war crimes

A court in Belgrade, September 21, 2000, had found even world leaders guilty of war crimes. For each one, he gave 20 years in prison for NATO's bombings against Yugoslavia during wartime in Kosovo, the Express newspaper reported.

The trial, held four days, in an effort to revive anti-feeling - NATO in Yugoslavia was the pre-election campaign of then Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic.

About 100 spectators and the media are allowed to enter the District Court in Belgrade ( Thursday), until the chairman of the court, Veroljub Raketic, read the charges and sentences.

Lawyers appointed by the court were employed to represent the defendants, as they were not present in the hall, who were sentenced in absentia.

While mentioning the names of world leaders for prison sentences, the crowd bore their names on plaques, raising them to each name mentioned and applauding.

Among the convicts were President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, US Defence Secretary Willim Cohen, German Chancellor Gerard Schroeder, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, President Jacques Chirac, former Secretary General of State NATO, Javier Solana, as well as the commander NATO, who retired, General Wesley Clark, writes the Express.

“William Cohen sentenced in absence to the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison”, the judge said. And so he did for every world leader of that time he sentenced them all to 20 years in prison.

World leaders were charged with war crimes, which the Court linked to NATO's 78-day bombings in Serbia.

The judge, Veroljub Raketic, said the accused were previously announced, but they chose to ignore the court in absentia. He also ordered the defendants to pay the price of judgment.

Raketic also found guilty NATO has killed 546 Yugoslav Army soldiers, including 138 Serb police officers and 504 civilians, 88 of them children.

At the same time, Milosevic had campaigned with anti-lined slogans - NATO, saying it will revive the hope of reconstruction after the bombing. This “expected” Milosevic gave it, later turned into a vote.

The prosecution in Belgrade had said that the moment the parties are convicted, they would be arrested whenever they go to Serbia.

The charges, listed in the 120-page indictment, included inciting an aggressive fight and committing crimes against the civilian population, as well as the use of illegal means of war, attempted murder and violation of Yugoslavia's territorial integrity.

During the trial, images of NATO bombings in Serbia also appeared. This trial stands to note that it ended without witnesses for these bombings, and the judge said that “throughout Yugoslavia knows about it. The court room is not large enough to sound all witnesses”.

The Yugoslav government had claimed NATO violated international law when it ordered the shelling of civilians an act resulting in numerous deaths, bodily injuries and destruction of property.