Kosovo war crimes convict Pavkovic is being released from prison, Vuciq says

Pavkovic, former Yugoslav Army commander, has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for crimes against Albanians in Kosovo in 1999.

The decision against him is of definite form.

Vuciq told reporters in New York that the government of Serbia, at his request, because of Pavkovic's extremely serious health situation” has submitted calls for his early release.

According to Vuciqi, Serbia's Ministry of Justice is sending an annex to the Mechanism in The Hague, after which their response will come.

And then we can go get General Pavkovic to see the sun of free Serbia, which was fought so hard, valiantly in 1999”, Vuciq said.

Pavkovic was convicted of all points of indictment in 2009 and sentenced for deportation, forced displacement, murder and persecution of Albanian civilians from Kosovo in the first half of 1999.

Against him and other Serbian generals, in late 2003 an indictment was filed by The Hague Tribunal, while in 2005 he surrendered to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.

Along with him, former Yugoslav Army Chief of General Staff Dragolub Ojdanic, former Pristina Corps Commander Vadiclazarevic, Police General Sreten Luqiq and former Yugoslav Government Vice President Nikola Shainovic were sentenced.

Pavkovic and Luqic were sentenced to 22 years in prison, while Ojdanic and Lazarevic were sentenced to 15 years.

The first defendant, Slobodan Milosevic, died in custody, while former Serbian President Milan Milutinovic was acquitted.

All the accused surrendered voluntarily.

The mechanism in The Hague, so far, has not announced that Pavkovi will be released prematurely.

He is serving his sentence in Finland.

The International Mechanism for Criminal Court, in May 2022, had rejected Pavkovic's request for early release, due to his <x0 most important crimes and lack of rehabilitation”.