Momčilo Perišić Sentenced to 27 Years for Role in Sarajevo and Srebrenica Attacks

Momčilo perišić

Momčilo Perišić has been sentenced to 27 years in prison by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

Mr Perišić was found guilty by the tribunal of of aiding and abetting murders, inhumane acts, persecutions on political, racial or religious grounds, and attacks on civilians in Sarajevo and Srebrenica. He was also found guilty by majority of failing to punish his subordinates for their crimes of murder, attacks on civilians and injuring and wounding civilians during the rocket attacks on Zagreb on 2 and 3 May 1995.

Born on 22nd May 1944 in Koštunići, Serbia, Momčilo Perišić was Chief of the General Staff of the Yugoslav Army from 1993 until 1998. He surrendered to the ICTY in 2005 after an indictment was issued against him. The indictment alleged that Perišić was complicit in the sniping and shelling of civilians in Sarajevo and that he failed to investigate the role in the Srebrenica massacre of the officers under his command.

Perišić was acquitted of charges of aiding and abetting extermination in Srebrenica, where more than 7,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were massacred in July 1995. The judgement was thus:

“With regard to the atrocities perpetrated during the takeover of Srebrenica in July 1995, the Majority underlines that General Perišić had already been notified long before this tragedy that the VRS [Army of Republika Srpska] had a propensity to target civilians.

“Further, he was aware of the escalating tensions in the Srebrenica area and that the VRS was preparing a military attack there. The Majority is satisfied that General Perišić knew that it was highly probable that the VRS would forcibly transfer Bosnian Muslims and commit killings and other abuses with discriminatory intent once Srebrenica had fallen under VRS control. In other words, General Perišić knew of the likelihood that the VRS would perpetrate the crimes of Murder, Inhumane Acts and Persecution in Srebrenica.

“However, the Trial Chamber unanimously finds that the evidence does not establish beyond a reasonable doubt that General Perišić could reasonably have foreseen, based on his knowledge of the VRS’s prior conduct, that the VRS would engage in the radical, systematic extermination of thousands of Muslims in Srebrenica.”

The trial chamber was similarly unconvinced that the existence of a superior-subordinate relationship between General Perišić  and General Mladić could be established.


In This Story: Murder

Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. This state of mind may, depending upon the jurisdiction, distinguish murder from other forms of unlawful homicide, such as manslaughter.

2 Recent Items: Murder

20/20 ‘there is a monster in me’ preview: hundreds of pages give look inside mind of killer 3

20/20 ‘There Is A Monster In Me’ Preview: hundreds of pages give look inside mind of killer

Cindy Ali: Toronto woman acquitted of murdering teen daughter with cerebral palsy at retrial

In This Story: Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country in South and Southeast Europe, located within the Balkans. Sarajevo is the capital and largest city.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is bordered by Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to the north and southwest. It is not entirely landlocked; to the south it has a narrow coast on the Adriatic Sea, which is about 20 kilometres (12 miles) long and surrounds the town of Neum.

The inland Bosnia region has a moderate continental climate, with hot summers and cold, snowy winters. In the central and eastern interior of the country the geography is mountainous, in the northwest moderately hilly, and in the northeast predominantly flatland. The smaller southern region, Herzegovina, has a Mediterranean climate and mostly mountainous topography.

2 Recent Items: Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Floating landfill raising fears of declining health and tourism in Bosnian town

EU Agrees to Open Ukraine Membership Talks, Bypassing Orban

Leave a Comment

We don't require your email address, or your name, for anyone to leave a comment. If you do add an email address, you may be notified if there are replies to your comment - we won't use it for any other purpose. Please make respectful comments, which add value, and avoid personal attacks on others. Links are not allowed in comments - 99% of spam comments, attempt to post links. Please describe where people may find additional information - for example "visit the UN website" or "search Google for..." rather than posting a link. Comments failing to adhere to these guidelines will not be published.