Yugoslav general convicted of war crimes by the Hague court has been released from prison

Nebojsa Pavlović, convicted of war crimes by the Hague International Criminal Court (ICC) has been released early for health reasons, reports the Inquirer, quoted by FOKUS.

Former Yugoslav Army chief Pavlović, convicted of war crimes during the Kosovo war of independence, returned to Belgrade on Sunday after being released early for health reasons. This was announced by Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Matsut.

79-year-old Pavlović was sentenced by the Hague International Criminal Court in 2009 to 22 years in prison for crimes against the Albanian population during the 1998-1999 Kosovo war. The sentence was confirmed in 2014. while he was serving his sentence in Finland.

The Serbian prime minister said his successful release was due to lobbying by the government.

Pavkovic "will continue his treatment in Serbia, with the support of his family and the health institutions of our country," added Matsut.

He surrendered to the court in 2005 after being wanted for his role as commander of the Yugoslav Third Army in Kosovo.

Pavkovic was a close associate of nationalist leader Slobodan Milosevic, who died in 2006 during his own war crimes trial.

Milosevic and Serbian authorities insisted that the military action in Kosovo was a legitimate fight against the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), which Belgrade considers a terrorist organization.

Kosovo declared independence in 2008 - an act that Serbia still refuses to recognize.