Momčilo Perišić ( sr-Cyrl, Момчило Перишић; born 22 May 1944) is a Serbian former
general
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
who served as the
Chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff.
List
* Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( United States)
* Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia)
* Chief of General Staff (Af ...
of the
Armed Forces of Yugoslavia between 1993 and 1998.
On 6 September 2011, in a first-instance verdict, Perišić was found guilty of war crimes and
crimes against humanity
Crimes against humanity are widespread or systemic acts committed by or on behalf of a ''de facto'' authority, usually a state, that grossly violate human rights. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity do not have to take place within the ...
for his role in the
Yugoslav Wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, SFR Yugoslavia from ...
and sentenced to 27 years of imprisonment. On 28 February 2013, the Appeals Chamber reversed this decision and acquitted him on all counts. In 2021, the Belgrade Higher Court sentenced Perišić to three years' imprisonment for passing state secrets to the United States in 2002.
Military career
He joined the
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviated as JNA/; Macedonian and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian and bs, Jugoslavenska narodna armija; sl, Jugoslovanska ljudska a ...
(JNA) and graduated from the military academy in 1966. When the conflict in the former
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
began, Perišić was the
commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain.
...
of the Artillery School Centre in
Zadar
Zadar ( , ; historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian: ); see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited Croatian city. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar serv ...
. During the
Croatian War of Independence, he was involved in the city's shelling.
In January 1992, Perišić was appointed commander of the newly established 13th Corps in the
Bileća. In June 1992, he was appointed Chief of Staff and deputy commander of the 3rd Army, based in
Niš
Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names in other languages) is the third largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District. It is located in southern part of Serbia. , the city proper has a population of 183,164, while ...
. He became its Commander in April 1993. A Croatian court sentenced him to 20 years in prison ''
in absentia
is Latin for absence. , a legal term, is Latin for "in the absence" or "while absent".
may also refer to:
* Award in absentia
* Declared death in absentia, or simply, death in absentia, legally declared death without a body
* Election in absen ...
'' for shelling the city of Zadar, but he was never arrested.
Trial
In one of its last indictments, the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) indicted Perišić in February 2005. 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 ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, lit=Serb Republic, also known as Republic of Srpska, ) is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Feder ...
and
Republic of Serbian Krajina
The Republic of Serbian Krajina or Serb Republic of Krajina ( sh, Република Српска Крајина, italics=no / or РСК / ''RSK'', ), known as the Serbian Krajina ( / ) or simply Krajina, was a self-proclaimed Serb proto-state, ...
, which he knew was used, in significant part, in the commission of the crimes".
Perišić surrendered three months later, in May 2005, to face the charges. He was indicted for murder, inhumane acts,
persecution
Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. The most common forms are religious persecution, racism, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these term ...
s on political, racial or religious grounds,
extermination
Extermination or exterminate may refer to:
* Pest control, elimination of insects or vermin
* Genocide, extermination—in whole or in part—of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group
* Homicide or murder in general
* "Exterminate!", t ...
, attacks on civilians for failing to stop his subordinates of committing the
siege of Sarajevo
The Siege of Sarajevo ( sh, Opsada Sarajeva) was a prolonged blockade of Sarajevo, the capital of Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the Bosnian War. After it was initially besieged by the forces of the Yugoslav ...
,
Zagreb rocket attack
The Zagreb rocket attacks were two rocket attacks conducted by the Army of the Republic of Serbian Krajina that used multiple rocket launchers to strike the Croatian capital of Zagreb during the Croatian War of Independence. The attack killed ...
and
Srebrenica massacre
The Srebrenica massacre ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Masakr u Srebrenici, Масакр у Сребреници), also known as the Srebrenica genocide ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Genocid u Srebrenici, Геноцид у Сребрен ...
.
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. The prosecutor sought life in prison for Perišić, while the defense argued that he should be acquitted of all charges.
On 6 September 2011, the court convicted Perišić of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and sentenced him to 27 years in prison. The judges ruled that he did not have effective control over
Ratko Mladić
Ratko Mladić ( sr-Cyrl, Ратко Младић, ; born 12 March 1942) is a Bosnian Serb convicted war criminal and colonel-general who led the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) during the Yugoslav Wars. In 2017, he was found guilty of committing ...
and the VRS, but that he did have control over the SVK and failed to punish those responsible for the shelling of Zagreb. On 28 February 2013, the Appeals Chamber acquitted him of all charges. The judges concluded that the military assistance which the Yugoslav Army provided to Bosnian Serb and Bosnian Croat militias was intended to support their general war efforts rather than facilitate war crimes.
In 2021, the Belgrade Higher Court sentenced Perišić to three years' imprisonment for passing state secrets to the US in 2002.
References
External links
ICTY Verdict against Momcilo Perisic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perisic, Momcilo
1944 births
Living people
People from Gornji Milanovac
People indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
People acquitted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
Serbian generals
Generals of the Yugoslav People's Army
Serbia and Montenegro military personnel