Miodrag Jokić (born 25 February 1935) was the last commander of the
Yugoslav Navy
The Yugoslav Navy ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска ратна морнарица, Jugoslavenska ratna mornarica, Yugoslav War Navy), was the navy of Yugoslavia from 1945 to 1992. It was essentially a coastal defense force with the miss ...
. The
International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) sentenced him to 7 years in prison for
murder
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...
, cruel treatment, attacks on civilians, devastation, unlawful attacks on civilian objects, destruction or wilful damage done to institutions in
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterran ...
during the
1991 siege.
Biography
Jokić was born in Serbia and educated in the Yugoslav military-naval academy. In 1991, after serving as an officer for a number of years, he was promoted to
Vice Admiral and then to the Commander of the 9th VPS of the Yugoslav navy. After
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
declared independence from
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
that year, the Yugoslav Army invaded the Dubrovnik area and started a three-month siege in order to keep that territory under Yugoslav control.
The siege failed and the army had to retreat, while the international community condemned the attacks.
In 2001, the ICTY charged Jokić,
Pavle Strugar, Milan Zec and
Vladimir Kovačević on several counts. These included violations of the customs of war and attacks on the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
heritage site of the Old Town. Strugar and Jokić voluntarily surrendered to the court, becoming the first Serbian or Montenegrin citizens to do so. His surrender sparked protests in Serbia.
On 1 April 2003, Jokić pleaded guilty to six counts in his second indictment and thus no trial was necessary.
He admitted his guilt and expressed his remorse for his actions in Dubrovnik:
The ICTY considered his remorse in openly admitting guilt as a mitigating factor and thus sentenced him to 7 years in prison. He also testified against his superior Strugar during his trial at the ICTY.
In 2008, he was released from prison.
See also
*
Siege of Dubrovnik
The siege of Dubrovnik ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, opsada Dubrovnika, опсада Дубровника) was a military engagement fought between the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and Croatian forces defending the city of Dubrovnik and its surroundings dur ...
*
Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the Government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yugosl ...
Notes
External links
Article on Hague Justice Portal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jokic, Miodrag
1935 births
Montenegrin soldiers
Serbian soldiers
Generals of the Yugoslav People's Army
Montenegrin people convicted of murder
People convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
Montenegrin people convicted of war crimes
Living people
Defence ministers of Serbia