Željko Đukić

This case summary is being revised and will be updated soon

Court	Trial Chamber, War Crimes Department, Higher Court in Belgrade, Serbia-Montenegro
Decision title	Judgment
Decision date	22 September 2010
Parties	Željko Đukić Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor
Categories	War crimes
Keywords	Padujevo, Scorpions, war crimes

Procedural history

On 18 June 2009, former paramilitary officer Đukić was sentenced, together with other members of the Serbian paramilitary group known as the Scorpions, to 20 years' imprisonment in first instance for a war crime against the civilian population that took place in Podujevo, Kosovo-Metohija, on 28 March 1999, and that resulted in the deaths of 14 Albanian civilians – women and children. See here for more information.

On 15 June 2010, the Appellate Court found that within the first-instance proceedings in the Scorpions case, the court had made a procedural breach in relation to Đukić since its decision to sentence the defendant to 20 years had been based only on a protected witness’s statement, which was in contravention of the Criminal Procedure Code. As a result, the Appellate Court ordered a new first-instance trial of this defendant, which began on 7 July 2010.

More information can be found in this press release.

Court's holding and analysis

On 22 September 2010, the Trial Chamber of the War Crimes Department of the Higher Court in Belgrade convicted Dukic again of 20 years.

The Higher Court convicted Đukić on the charges brought by the War Crimes Prosecutor after it was made clear that Đukić was among the men who committed the murders. According to testimony at the trial, the Scorpions lined up 19 people, mostly women and children, and sprayed them with machine gun fire. See this article and this press release for more information.

In addition to Đukić, Dragan Medic, Dragan Borojevic and Miodrag Solaj were also convicted for their involvement in this war crime.