Accused war criminal ‘Rambo’ transferred into custody of UN tribunal

Long-time fugitive Vladimir Kovacevic, also known as “Rambo,” indicted for leading attacks on Dubrovnik, Croatia, that killed 43 people and devastated the historical district, was put in the custody of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) today, in preparation for his first court appearance on Monday.

Mr. Kovacevic, one of four soldiers initially accused in the case, was indicted in February 2001, went into hiding for more than two years and was arrested in Serbia on 25 September. In the meantime, fellow indictees Pavle Strugar and Miodrag Jokic surrendered voluntarily before the end of 2001 and the charges against Milan Zec were withdrawn, the ICTY said.

A decision is pending on whether Mr. Srugar and Mr. Kovacevic should be tried together, the UN court said.

The three accused were alleged to have attacked, cruelly treated and murdered civilians, resulting in the deaths of 43 people. They were also charged with the extensive shelling of Dubrovnik’s Old Town district, a World Cultural Heritage Site, and causing “devastation not justified by military necessity,” the ICTY said.

The cost of repairing and restoring the 69 per cent of the district’s public and commercial buildings, as well as the ramparts, historical monuments and streets that were damaged or destroyed has been estimated at nearly $10 million, it said.