Former Yugoslav army chief granted temporary release by UN tribunal

The United Nations tribunal set up to deal with the worst war crimes committed during the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s has granted temporary provisional release to the former Chief of the General Staff of the Yugoslav Army, Dragoljub Ojdanic.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), which sits in The Hague, released Mr. Ojdanic on compassionate grounds until 12 May. His release is subject to strict conditions, including 24-hour electronic surveillance by the Serbian authorities.

Mr. Ojdanic, who also served as Defence Minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, is on trial with five co-defendants for an alleged campaign of terror and violence directed against Kosovo Albanians and other non-Serbs living in Kosovo in 1999.