Tartu Court Considers Early Release of Serbian War Criminal Milan Martić

Tartu District Court has begun proceedings on a request for early release of 71-year-old Milan Martić. Martić is the former president of the unrecognized Republic of Serbian Krajina and is serving a sentence in Estonia for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Both the prison and the prosecutor's office are opposed to his early release.

Tartu District Court has begun proceedings to decide whether 71-year-old Milan Martić may be released early. Martić, former president of the unrecognized Republic of Serbian Krajina, is serving a prison sentence in Estonia for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Both the Estonian prison authority and the prosecutor's office have clearly expressed their opposition to Martić's early release. In their assessment, the conditions for release have not been met and the man remains a continued threat.

Martić was convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), which sentenced him to 35 years in prison. The sentence holds him accountable for attacks against civilians during the Balkans conflicts of the 1990s. Estonia took him into its custody to serve his sentence as part of international cooperation.