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| Milutinovic cleared of war crimes | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Five former top Serbian officials have been found guilty on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Kosovo by a UN war crimes tribunal. | |
| Serbian ex-President Milan Milutinovic was cleared of the charges, which related to the 1990s Kosovo conflict. | |
| Those found guilty include ex-Yugoslav deputy prime minister Nikola Sainovic, former Yugoslav army chief of staff and defence minister Dragoljub Ojdanic. | |
| The sentences handed down at The Hague range from 15 to 22 years. | |
| It was the court's first ruling on alleged crimes by Serbian forces in the Kosovo conflict. | |
| The other defendants found guilty were ex-Yugoslav army generals Nebojsa Pavkovic and Vladimir Lazarevic and former Serbian police public security service chief Sreten Lukic. | |
| The men all denied the charges. | |
| Prosecutors at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) accused them of participating "in an alleged campaign of terror and violence directed against Kosovo Albanians and other non-Serbs in Kosovo during 1999". | |
| "The crimes... include the deportation and forcible transfer of several hundred thousand people, as well as the murder and persecution of thousands of Kosovo Albanians," the court said in a statement. | "The crimes... include the deportation and forcible transfer of several hundred thousand people, as well as the murder and persecution of thousands of Kosovo Albanians," the court said in a statement. |
| Lost immunity | Lost immunity |
| Mr Milutinovic, 66, was seen largely as a figurehead president of Serbia during the conflict in Kosovo, with real power in the hands of his mentor, Slobodan Milosevic, the then-president of Yugoslavia. | Mr Milutinovic, 66, was seen largely as a figurehead president of Serbia during the conflict in Kosovo, with real power in the hands of his mentor, Slobodan Milosevic, the then-president of Yugoslavia. |
| Profile: Kosovo trial accused | Profile: Kosovo trial accused |
| Milosevic died in tribunal custody in 2006, before a verdict was delivered in his own trial, giving this trial much greater significance, says BBC correspondent Helen Fawkes in Belgrade. | Milosevic died in tribunal custody in 2006, before a verdict was delivered in his own trial, giving this trial much greater significance, says BBC correspondent Helen Fawkes in Belgrade. |
| The trial of Mr Milutinovic and his fellow defendants was the largest case at the ICTY to have reached this stage. | |
| During the trial, which began in July 2006, UN prosecutors called 113 witnesses to testify against them, while defence lawyers called 118. | During the trial, which began in July 2006, UN prosecutors called 113 witnesses to testify against them, while defence lawyers called 118. |
| Prosecution witnesses testified that Serb forces shelled towns and villages during the Kosovo conflict in 1999, murdered civilians and raped women as they were driven from their homes. | Prosecution witnesses testified that Serb forces shelled towns and villages during the Kosovo conflict in 1999, murdered civilians and raped women as they were driven from their homes. |
| Although Mr Milutinovic was indicted during the conflict, he served out his full five-year term as president until the end of 2002. | Although Mr Milutinovic was indicted during the conflict, he served out his full five-year term as president until the end of 2002. |
| It was only after he lost his immunity as president that he surrendered. | It was only after he lost his immunity as president that he surrendered. |
| In total, the ICTY has indicted nine of the most senior Serb and Yugoslav officials for crimes alleged to have been carried out in Kosovo by Serb forces in 1999. | In total, the ICTY has indicted nine of the most senior Serb and Yugoslav officials for crimes alleged to have been carried out in Kosovo by Serb forces in 1999. |
| Vlajko Stojiljkovic, a senior police official close to Milosevic, was indicted but committed suicide in Belgrade in 2002. Vlastimir Dordevic, the former chief of Serbia's Public Security Department and a fugitive until his arrest in June 2007, went on trial on 27 January. | Vlajko Stojiljkovic, a senior police official close to Milosevic, was indicted but committed suicide in Belgrade in 2002. Vlastimir Dordevic, the former chief of Serbia's Public Security Department and a fugitive until his arrest in June 2007, went on trial on 27 January. |