Strasbourg - The NATO bombing of Serbian state television, which killed 16 civilians during the 1999 Kosovo war, did not breach the Convention on European Human Rights, a court ruled yesterday. The European Court of Human Rights rejected a case brought by six Yugoslav nationals, including the parents of one of the victims, who said the bombing violated laws aimed at protecting the right to life and freedom of expression.
The court cleared the 17 NATO countries accused, ruling that except in special circumstances the European Convention on Human Rights only applied to countries acting on their own territory. It said NATO could not be held responsible for actions abroad.
NATO said the station, hit in 1999 in the centre of Belgrade, was a legitimate target because it served as a propaganda machine for the former Yugoslav ruler, Mr Slobodan Milosevic. While Amnesty condemned the air attacks, the UN saw no need for an inquiry into the bombing.