Former commander suspected of war crimes

Former commander suspected of war crimes

BELGRADE -- The war crimes prosecutor has ordered an investigation against General Dragan Živanović on suspicion of involvement in war crimes in Kosovo during in 1999.

The investigation is carried out against the former commander of the 125th Motorized Brigade of the Yugoslav Army (VJ) on suspicion that in the period from April 1 to May 15, 1999 in the villages villages Ćuška, Pavljan, Ljubenić and Zahač, he committed war crimes against the civilian population.

He is suspected of having failed to take any measures and prevent the killing of at least 118 ethnic Albanian civilians, serious injury of 13 civilians, destroying 40 houses, looting of property and expulsions, confiscation and destruction of their personal documents.

The order states that Živanović knew that the members of the 177th Military-Territorial Detachment Peć, carrying out orders and combat duties of his command to search and clear up the villages would carry out murders of civilians, serious bodily injury, displacement and destruction of property on a large scale.

General Živanović was superior to Toplica Miladinović, Milojko Nikolić and Dejan Bulatović who have been sentences to a maximum 20 years in jail each for war crimes committed in the territory of the municipalities of Peć, in the Ćuška case, while a total of nine members of the 177th Military-Territorial Detachment Peć were sentenced to 106 years in prison.

The verdict confirmed the prosecution claims that the mass killings were carried in the presence of women and children, the youngest victim was 19 and the oldest 87 years old, that during the murder, rape, destruction of property and other offenses, the accused...