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Nebojša Pavkovic was a former Serb-led Yugoslavian army general who was convicted by a UN court of war crimes during the war. KosovoIs dead, Serbian officials and media said on Monday. He was 79 years old.
pavkovic died belgradecapital of Serbia, he was released from prison in less than a month finland Where he was serving a 22-year prison sentence for atrocities against ethnic Albanians in the 1998–99 conflict.
Pavkovic commanded Serb-led Yugoslavian forces in Kosovo during the Serbian crackdown on separatist ethnic Albanian forces, who had launched an insurgency to gain independence for the region that was then part of Serbia.
Serbian security forces were accused of systematic crimes against civilians including executions, torture, detention, and killing. More than 13,000 people were killed in the conflict, the majority of whom were ethnic Albanians.
Pavkovic was regarded as a war hero in Serbia, despite his conviction at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. He was the Commander in Chief of the Army from 2000–2002.
“He dedicated his life to serving the country and the army,” the Serbian president said. alexander vucic Said on Monday. “His memory will be cherished by those who shared his difficult and glorious days.”
The war in Kosovo ended in 1999 after NATO bombed Serbia for 78 days to force then-President Slobodan Milosevic Giving up control. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, a partition which Serbia still refuses to accept.
Milosevic died in custody in 2006 while on trial at the International Tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands.