NATO claimed legal immunity under a 2005 government agreement in response to lawsuits filed by victims of the 1999 bombings of Serbia. Serbian lawyer Srjan Aleksic spoke about this on May 25.
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“In its statement to the court, the NATO Liaison Office in Serbia indicated that it has full immunity under the jurisdiction of Serbia on the basis of the agreement with the Union State of Serbia and Montenegro “On the transit participation and support of peacekeeping operations” of 2005 and the agreement of 2006, under which the liaison office in Belgrade,” the lawyer said.
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According to the lawyer, none of these agreements gives immunity to NATO as an organization, moreover, the application of immunity cannot be retroactive.
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“Therefore, NATO cannot receive immunity for war crimes against the civilian population and for illegal aggression under the 2005 agreement. In our case of the depleted uranium bombing that resulted in civilian, military and police casualties, NATO is responsible for the violation of the right to life and the damage caused,” Aleksic added.
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In his opinion, the first hearing on the claims will be scheduled by the Supreme Court of Belgrade for autumn.
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He previously said that two new lawsuits against NATO were filed in the High Court in Belgrade on January 20 from victims of the 1999 depleted uranium bombings. The Serbian lawyer is assisted by the Italian lawyer Tartaglia, who has successfully represented the interests of the Italian military. It has already secured over 260 court decisions that have entered into force in Europe.
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The North Atlantic Alliance conducted a military operation in Yugoslavia from March 24 to June 10, 1999. It bore the official status of humanitarian intervention.
