UNMIK/PR/360
PRISTINA---In a major judgement today, Milos Jokic accused of genocide was today convicted and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for war crimes against a civilian population under s.142 of the Yugoslav Criminal Code. Mr. Jokic, of Serbian ethnicity, was arrested on 26 August 1999. The case was heard in the District Court of Gjilan/Gnjilane by a panel including local judges and one international judge.
Mr. Jokic’s indictment had included an act of murder, attempted murder and rape, carried out along with some others, with the intention of expelling residents of the villages of Vrbane and Smira in Vitina municipality during April and May 1999. During the same period, as part of a para-military group, he was accused of having fired indiscriminately at villagers with the intention of driving them away from their homes.
Realising the difficulties in the criminal justice system, especially the pressures on the local judiciary, SRSG Kouchner has appointed 10 international judges and prosecutors in Kosovo. The international judges and prosecutors are involved in sensitive cases involving genocide, war crimes, murder, rape etc.