Five Yugoslav army reservists sentenced

Five Yugoslav men accused of deserting their army units in Kosovo during the NATO bombings have been sentenced to three years in prison, the pro-government Politika daily reported Monday. Politika said the men left their positions near Klina, in western Kosovo, on May 19 and went home to Aleksandrovac, 75 miles south of Belgrade, taking their weapons with them. They were arrested a week later. They deserted after hearing that other soldiers based in Kosovo were returning to their homes, the newspaper said. Their commander ordered the unit to remain in position, but the men allegedly refused to obey. A military court in the southern Serbian city of Nis charged the men with disobeying their commanders and refusing to carry out orders while serving in the Yugoslav army during a state of war. Politika did not say when they were sentenced.

Source: Free Serbia

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