Perisic, who faces thirteen counts of crimes against humanity and violations of the laws and customs of war, surrendered to the tribunal in March last year and was granted provisional release in June.
He is charged with secretly providing aid to Serb forces in Bosnia and Croatia during the conflicts in those countries in the Nineties, despite being fully aware that they were committing war crimes.
Perisic wants to spend half of each month in his hometown of Kostunici, where he says his brother is seriously ill with diabetes and needs help to get to hospital for treatment.
The Serb authorities have provided guarantees and assurances to supervise Perisic during any such visits.
Belgrade’s enforcement of the rules governing tribunal accused on provisional release have been called into question in recent weeks, however.
Last month, three Serb accused - the ex-Yugoslav deputy prime minister Nikola Sainovic and two former chiefs of staff of the Yugoslav army, Dragoljub Ojdanic and Nebojsa Pavkovic - were spotted attending the funeral of former Yugoslav president and fellow-indictee Slobodan Milosevic in Pozarevac. Lawyers for the men, who were not supposed to leave the Belgrade municipality while on release from tribunal custody pending trial, have claimed Serbian officials granted them permission to do so on this occasion.
Judges have since asked the authorities in Serbia whether they are conforming to the court’s strict conditions imposed on war crimes indictees granted provisional release.
He is charged with secretly providing aid to Serb forces in Bosnia and Croatia during the conflicts in those countries in the Nineties, despite being fully aware that they were committing war crimes.
Perisic wants to spend half of each month in his hometown of Kostunici, where he says his brother is seriously ill with diabetes and needs help to get to hospital for treatment.
The Serb authorities have provided guarantees and assurances to supervise Perisic during any such visits.
Belgrade’s enforcement of the rules governing tribunal accused on provisional release have been called into question in recent weeks, however.
Last month, three Serb accused - the ex-Yugoslav deputy prime minister Nikola Sainovic and two former chiefs of staff of the Yugoslav army, Dragoljub Ojdanic and Nebojsa Pavkovic - were spotted attending the funeral of former Yugoslav president and fellow-indictee Slobodan Milosevic in Pozarevac. Lawyers for the men, who were not supposed to leave the Belgrade municipality while on release from tribunal custody pending trial, have claimed Serbian officials granted them permission to do so on this occasion.
Judges have since asked the authorities in Serbia whether they are conforming to the court’s strict conditions imposed on war crimes indictees granted provisional release.
