Senseless Punishment

Vladimir Trifunovic, a General of the former Yugoslav national army (JNA) and colonels Sreten Raduski and Berislav Popov are in prison sentenced for desertion from a senseless, criminal war and for saving their men which was qualified as undermining the military and defence capacities of the country. These honorable JNA officers were arrested and sentenced despite many protests from at home and abroad and became victims of the war they didn't want to fight in. Trifunovic, Raduski and Popov publicly refused to commit war crimes and saved their honor.

Post-Dayton Serbia has to respect one human right; the right to an objective trial. If it fails in that, the only solution for the General and his Colonels is abolition.

Trifunovic was the victim of the centers of power and war policies and he was sentenced in a political trial. If the general did undermine the country's defence capabilities by refusing to commit war crimes, Post-Dayton Serbia must respect the fact the Trifunovic did what was signed in Dayton.

General Trifunovic sacrificed his freedom for peace. In the name of reason, he decided that his 220 soldiers and 60 officers could not resist the 7,500 Croats troops surrounding them and reached an agreement with the Croat authorities to gain free passage to Serbia.

The voice of reason was defeated when Trifunovic was sentenced for not defending his position to the last bullet and last man. The logic of war victory won.

The signing of the Dayton agreement has finally brought an end to this war. The agreement is aimed at establishing peace and reconstructing the internationally recognized states in the former Yugoslavia with the support of the international community. Primarily it is aimed at establishing the rule of law, respect for human rights, democratization and punishment for everyone who committed war crimes in this war.

When he came back from Dayton, Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic said: "The goal of our trip was peace. That goal was achieved." The authorities said the agreement is the final victory of reason and state wisdom over the forces of darkness and destruction and the start of a new era in the Balkans. Yugoslav Army (VJ) chief of staff General Momcilo Perisic said VJ members felt great satisfaction and relief since reason finally triumphed across the former Yugoslavia.

War criminals are still on the loose but the agreement obliges all signatory states to jail them. Yugoslavia accepted that obligation. That means a just peace. The building of democratic institutions, establishment of the rule of law and rights is an imperative in Serbia.

A pardon for General Trifunovic and Colonels Raduski and Popov would be just the first step in realizing those obligations. The authorities would show that their calls for peace, human rights, a state of law and democracy are not just empty words.