Nikola Sainovic

He exercised de jure and de facto responsibility over Serbian police forces that "committed crimes on a massive scale," it added.

My colleagues and I documented many of those appalling acts, which resulted from policy rather than rogue troops. I testified at the UN tribunal against Lukic and his cohorts, three of whom are also now free.

This year was no different.

Two convicted war criminals, former Yugoslav deputy prime minister Nikola Sainovic and Yugoslav Army general Vladimir Lazarevic, appeared on Serbia's public broadcaster Radio-Television Serbia on Tuesday evening and denied that they committed the crimes of which they were convicted.

On May 9, retired Yugoslav Army general Vladimir Lazarevic, a convicted war criminal, headed a World War II Victory Day parade through the streets of the southern Serbian city of Nis. The showpiece event was organised by Russian war veterans with the backing of the Serbian authorities.

Mirjana Markovic with her husband, Slobodan Milosevic, in 1997. Photo: Srdjan Suki/EPA.

The urn containing the ashes of Mirjana Markovic, widow of former Serbian and Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, was buried next to her late husband in the garden of their family home in the eastern Serbian town of Pozarevac on Saturday.

The epilogue is known - after 17 days of negotiations that failed, on March 24, 1999, NATO started bombing the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (consisting of Serbia and Montenegro).

Pro-government media outlets have accused US ambassador Kyle Scott of interfering in Serbia's affairs after the diplomat criticised Defence Minister Aleksandar Vulin for praising convicted war criminals.

The daily Vecernje novosti on Friday accused Scott of wanting to control the Serbian government.

Almost nine months after being elected party president, Socialist Party boss Ivica Dacic - who is also Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Serbia - played safe in choosing a new leadership on Thursday.

Among the vice-presidents are veteran party officials Aleksandar Antic, Branko Ruzic, Slavica Djukic Dejanovic.

Former Yugoslav deputy PM Nikola Sainovic was elected to the main board of the Socialist Party, part of Serbia’s ruling coalition, after his prison sentence for war crimes in Kosovo ended.

Former Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Nikola Sainovic, who was incarcerated in Sweden after the Hague Tribunal found him guilty, has returned to the country.

Sainovic arrived in Belgrade late on Wednesday. He was released after having served two thirds of his sentence.