Vidoje Blagojević
Vidoje Blagojević (born 22 June 1950[1] in Bratunac, Bosnia and Herzegovina) is a former commander of the Bratunac Brigade of the Republika Srpska Army who was charged and tried by the ICTY for his involvement in the Srebrenica massacre. In January 2005 the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia found him guilty of engaging in genocide and other war crimes and sentenced him to 18 years in prison. On 9 May the ICTY's appeals court reversed the genocide conviction and reduced his sentence to 15 years in Norway, where he was released early and deported.[2]
A Bosnian Serb, during the course of the Bosnian War, Blagojević rose through the ranks of the Army of Republika Srpska. As a member of the Bratunac Brigade, he participated in the securing and eventual capture of the Srebrenica safe area. He was captured on 10 August 2001 and soon interred at the Hague Tribunal. Blagojević was tried along with Dragan Jokić and Dragan Obrenović. Both pleaded not guilty. Blagojević was eventually found guilty of five of his six charges, while he was acquitted of the charge of extermination as a crime against humanity. On 25 January 2008, Blagojević was transferred to Norway to serve his prison sentence. On 31 December 2012, he was granted early release.[3]
References
- ^ Profile, icty.org; accessed 13 April 2015.
- ^ "Blagojevic Acquitted of Complicity in Genocide Balkan Investigative Reporting Network"], birn.eu.com; accessed 13 April 2015.
- ^ "Srebrenica Convict Granted Early Release". Institute for War & Peace Reporting. 11 January 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
External links
- 1950 births
- Living people
- People from Bratunac
- Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina convicted of crimes against humanity
- Military of Republika Srpska
- People convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
- People indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina people imprisoned abroad
- Prisoners and detainees of Norway