Former FYROM Interior Minister Adamant in his Denial of Charges

Ljube Boskoski, who previously served as the Interior Minister for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) from May 2001 until November of 2002, insisted on his innocence against the charges of murder, wanton destruction of towns and villags and cruel treatment.  The charges, all brought as violations of the laws and customs of war stem from events during the 2001 conflict between Albanian guerilla fighters of the Albanian National Liberation Army and the FYROM Security Forces.

Mr. Boskoski is charged under Article 7(3) of the Tribunal's statute, which attaches criminal responsibility to the accused based on his position of superiority over subordinates who actually carried out the alleged criminal acts.  The indictment notes that Boskoski, in his capacity as Minister of the Interior exercised de facto and de jure command and control over the police forces that participated in the crimes detailed in the indictment. 

Mr. Boskoski, who during his initial appearance represented himself, pleaded 'not guilty' to all three counts and commented that the way the investigation was carried out was 'an attack on the government of Macedonia.'  He claimed that 'It is not Ljube Boskoski who is on trial here, but the Republic of Macedonia.'   Mr. Boskoski alleged that the indictment was not based on any evidence, but instead merely parrotted a Human Rights Watch report on FYROM.  However, according to the Rules of Procedure, the Office of the Prosecutor must serve Mr. Boskoski with the the evidentiary record upon which the indictment is based within 30 days of his plea.

Mr. Boskoski was transferred to the custody of the ICTY on 24 March 2005 from Croatia, where he was in detention facing unrelated charges.  Boskoski and his co-accused Johan Tarculovski were the ICTY's last publicly indicted persons.