| Press Release |
REGISTRY
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| (Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document) |
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The Hague, 20 February 2009
CVO/MOW/1305e
Pavle Strugar Granted Early Release
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| Pavle Strugar |
Pavle Strugar, a former General of the Yugoslav People’s Army convicted of crimes in the Croatian coastal town of Dubrovnik in 1991 and sentenced to seven and a half years’ imprisonment, was today released having been in the Tribunal’s detention facility for more than two-thirds of his sentence.
Strugar’s early release follows the 16 January 2009 decision of the Tribunal’s President, Judge Patrick Robinson. The President considered several factors when evaluating Strugar’s application including the gravity of crimes for which he was convicted, previous practice and the prisoner’s demonstration of rehabilitation, as well as Strugar’s “deteriorating medical condition”.
The Tribunal’s Statute allows for convicted persons to apply for pardon, commutation of sentence or early release and states that the President of the Tribunal will determine whether to grant such requests.
On 31 January 2005 the Trial Chamber convicted Strugar, pursuant to his superior responsibility, of the crimes that were committed in the UNESCO protected town of Dubrovnik during 1991. He was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment.
On 17 July 2008 the Appeals Chamber reduced his sentence to seven and a half years’ imprisonment in consideration of Strugar’s deteriorating health since the delivery of the Trial Judgement.
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The President’s Decision on early release can be found at:
http://www.icty.org/x/cases/strugar/presdec/en/090116.pdf
An information sheet about the case can be found at:
http://www.icty.org/x/cases/strugar/cis/en/cis_strugar_en.pdf
The Trial Chamber judgement can be found at:
http://www.icty.org/x/cases/strugar/tjug/en/str-tj050131e.pdf
The Appeals Chamber judgement can be found at:
http://www.icty.org/x/cases/strugar/acjug/en/080717.pdf
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International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
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