Momcilo Perišic
Encyclopedia
Momčilo Perišić was a Serbia
n general
and Chief of the General Staff
of the Yugoslav Army
until 1998. On 6 September 2011 Perišić was found guilty for war crimes and crimes against humanity and was sentenced to 27 years of imprisonment. He is the first official from Serbia ever to be convicted for war crimes perpetrated both during wars in Croatia and Bosnia.
and graduated from the military academy in 1966. When the conflict in the former Yugoslavia
began, Momcilo Perisic was the commander
of the Artillery School Centre in Zadar
. He participated in the shelling of the city before leaving Croatia - as a consequence, he was sentenced in absence by a Croatian court to 20 years in prison for shelling Zadar, but Serbia never went on to arrest him. In January 1992, he was appointed commander of the newly established 13th Corps in the Bileca region. In June 1992, Momcilo Perisic was appointed Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander
of the Yugoslav 3rd Army based in Niš
. He became its Commander in April 1993.
(ICTY) indicted him in February 2005, in one of the last indictments of that Tribunal. According to the indictment, he was "exercising his authority, pursuant to the policies and limitations set by the Supreme Defence Council, to provide substantial military assistance to the Armies of Republika Srpska
and Republic of Serbian Krajina
, which he knew was used, in significant part, in the commission of the crimes". He surrendered in May that same year to face the charges.
He was indicted for murder, inhumane acts, persecution
s on political, racial or religious grounds, extermination
, attacks on civilians for failing to stop his subordinates of committing the siege of Sarajevo
, Zagreb rocket attack
and Srebrenica massacre
.
The trial ended in March 2011. The prosecutor alleged that crimes were committed by the VJ
soldiers who had been transferred to the VRS
and the SVK through the 30th and 40th Personnel Centers of the VJ General Staff. Perišić’s command position, his ability to issue and implement orders, to discipline those who committed crimes and to promote and discharge soldiers showed that he had effective control, the prosecutor argued. He sought life in prison for Perišić, while the defense argued that he should be acquitted of all charges.
On 6 September 2011 the court in The Hague ruled that Perišić will go to jail for 27 years. The judges, however, ruled that Perišić did not have effective control over Ratko Mladić
and the VRS, but that he did have control over the SVK and failed to punish the responsible for shelling Zagreb.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
and Chief of the General Staff
Chief of the General Staff of Yugoslav People's Army
The Chief of the General Staff was the chief of staff of the General Staff of Yugoslav People's Army. He was appointed by the President of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, who was the commander-in-chief.The first Chief of the General Staff was Lt...
of the Yugoslav Army
Yugoslav Army
Aside from the Yugoslav People's Army, the terms Yugoslav Army, Army of Yugoslavia, or Military of Yugoslavia may refer to:* Yugoslav Partisans , the Yugoslav resistance army during World War II...
until 1998. On 6 September 2011 Perišić was found guilty for war crimes and crimes against humanity and was sentenced to 27 years of imprisonment. He is the first official from Serbia ever to be convicted for war crimes perpetrated both during wars in Croatia and Bosnia.
Military career
He joined the Yugoslav People's ArmyYugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...
and graduated from the military academy in 1966. When the conflict in the former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
began, Momcilo Perisic was the commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
of the Artillery School Centre in Zadar
Zadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
. He participated in the shelling of the city before leaving Croatia - as a consequence, he was sentenced in absence by a Croatian court to 20 years in prison for shelling Zadar, but Serbia never went on to arrest him. In January 1992, he was appointed commander of the newly established 13th Corps in the Bileca region. In June 1992, Momcilo Perisic was appointed Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander
Deputy Commander
Deputy commander was a rank in the London Metropolitan Police which existed between 1946 and 1968.In 1946, the rank of chief constable, which was between superintendent and deputy assistant commissioner, was renamed deputy commander. At the same time, the rank of deputy assistant commissioner was...
of the Yugoslav 3rd Army based in Niš
Niš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
. He became its Commander in April 1993.
Trial at the Hague
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former YugoslaviaInternational Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia or ICTY, is a...
(ICTY) indicted him in February 2005, in one of the last indictments of that Tribunal. According to the indictment, he was "exercising his authority, pursuant to the policies and limitations set by the Supreme Defence Council, to provide substantial military assistance to the Armies of Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska is one of two main political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
and Republic of Serbian Krajina
Republic of Serbian Krajina
The Republic of Serbian Krajina was a self-proclaimed Serb entity within Croatia. Established in 1991, it was not recognized internationally. It formally existed from 1991 to 1995, having been initiated a year earlier via smaller separatist regions. The name Krajina means "frontier"...
, which he knew was used, in significant part, in the commission of the crimes". He surrendered in May that same year to face the charges.
He was indicted for murder, inhumane acts, persecution
Persecution
Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another group. The most common forms are religious persecution, ethnic persecution, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these terms. The inflicting of suffering, harassment, isolation,...
s on political, racial or religious grounds, extermination
Extermination
Extermination or exterminate may refer to:* Pest control, elimination of insects or vermin* Genocide, the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group...
, attacks on civilians for failing to stop his subordinates of committing the siege of Sarajevo
Siege of Sarajevo
The Siege of Sarajevo is the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare. Serb forces of the Republika Srpska and the Yugoslav People's Army besieged Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from 5 April 1992 to 29 February 1996 during the Bosnian War.After Bosnia...
, Zagreb rocket attack
Zagreb rocket attack
The Zagreb rocket attacks were a series of two artillery attacks conducted by Serb armed forces that fired ground-to-ground missiles on the Croatian capital of Zagreb during the Croatian War of Independence...
and Srebrenica massacre
Srebrenica massacre
The Srebrenica massacre, also known as the Srebrenica genocide, refers to the July 1995 killing, during the Bosnian War, of more than 8,000 Bosniaks , mainly men and boys, in and around the town of Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina, by units of the Army of Republika Srpska under the command of...
.
The trial ended in March 2011. The prosecutor alleged that crimes were committed by the VJ
Yugoslav Army
Aside from the Yugoslav People's Army, the terms Yugoslav Army, Army of Yugoslavia, or Military of Yugoslavia may refer to:* Yugoslav Partisans , the Yugoslav resistance army during World War II...
soldiers who had been transferred to the VRS
Army of Republika Srpska
The Army of Republika Srpska ; Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian Vojska Republike Srpske ) also referred to as the Bosnian Serb Army, was the military of today's Republika Srpska which was then the "Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina", a self-proclaimed state within the internationally recognized...
and the SVK through the 30th and 40th Personnel Centers of the VJ General Staff. Perišić’s command position, his ability to issue and implement orders, to discipline those who committed crimes and to promote and discharge soldiers showed that he had effective control, the prosecutor argued. He sought life in prison for Perišić, while the defense argued that he should be acquitted of all charges.
On 6 September 2011 the court in The Hague ruled that Perišić will go to jail for 27 years. The judges, however, ruled that Perišić did not have effective control over Ratko Mladić
Ratko Mladić
Ratko Mladić is an accused war criminal and a former Bosnian Serb military leader. On May 31, 2011, Mladić was extradited to The Hague, where he was processed at the detention center that holds suspects for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia...
and the VRS, but that he did have control over the SVK and failed to punish the responsible for shelling Zagreb.