Amnesty accuses NATO of war crimes in Serbia

From 24 March to 10 June 1999 NATO aircraft flew over 38,000 combat
sorties against the FRY. According to the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia approximately 495 civilians were
killed and 820 injured as a result of the bombing. No NATO forces were
killed in hostile action during the air campaign.
In a report released in 2000 /"Collateral Damage” or Unlawful Killings?
Violations of the Laws of War by NATO during Operation Allied Force,
Amnesty International examined in detail a number of attacks in which
NATO failed to meet its legal obligations in selecting targets and in
choosing means and methods of attack.
Sixteen civilians were killed and 16 others injured during the air
attack on 23 April 1999 on the headquarters and studios of the RTS in
central Belgrade. The raid was part of NATO’s “Operation Allied Force”
against the then FRY between March and June 1999, in which approximately
500 civilians were killed and 900 injured. Many of these casualties were
caused by indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks and a failure to
take necessary precautions to protect civilians.

“The bombing of the headquarters of Serbian state radio and television
was a deliberate attack on a civilian object and as such constitutes a
war crime,” Sian Jones, Amnesty International’s Balkans expert said.

NATO officials confirmed to Amnesty International in early 2000 that
they targeted RTS, because of its propaganda function, in order to
undermine the morale of the population and the armed forces.

“Justifying an attack on the grounds of combating propaganda stretches
the meaning of ‘effective contribution to military action’ and ‘definite
military advantage’ - essential requirements of the legal definition of
a military objective - beyond acceptable bounds of interpretation. Even
if NATO genuinely believed RTS was a legitimate target, the attack was
disproportionate and hence a war crime,” Sian Jones said.

NATO officials also confirmed that no specific warning of this
particular attack was given, even though they knew many civilians would
be in the RTS building.

Amnesty International believes that the civilian deaths could have been
significantly reduced during the conflict if NATO forces had fully
adhered to the laws of war.

“Ten years on, no public investigation has ever been conducted by NATO
or its member states into these incidents,” Sian Jones said.