Serbia - Belgrade - court
06/18/2026
15:49

BELGRADE, JUNE 18 /SRNA/ – Marija Pavković, daughter of Gen. Nebojša Pavković, confirmed to SRNA that the family will file a lawsuit against NATO before the Second Court of General Jurisdiction in Belgrade tomorrow, claiming that her father's death was linked to exposure to depleted uranium used during NATO's 1999 bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Pavković said she does not have any particular expectations from the case but wants to try to obtain justice.
"Attorney Srđan Aleksić prepared it very thoroughly, and the lawsuit is 1,000 pages long. He will submit and do everything possible. I cannot predict what will happen", Pavković’s daughter said.
She explained that the idea of filing a lawsuit against NATO originated with Aleksić, who cooperates with Italian attorney Angelo Tartaglia.
"Italian KFOR personnel succeeded in obtaining court rulings in Italy, and the attorney wanted to pursue the same approach here. He got in touch with my father while he was still alive. My father wanted this to be done. Later, I granted power of attorney. This is another attempt to achieve at least a measure of justice", she stressed.
Pavković added that, if possible, she also intends to file a lawsuit against Finland over the alleged neglect of her father's health and other issues related to his imprisonment there while serving a sentence imposed by the Hague Tribunal.
"While my father was alive, we planned to file a lawsuit against Finland because of the neglect of his medical condition, his treatment, and everything they failed to do to improve his condition and provide adequate care", Pavković said.
She stated that doctors in Finland delayed taking meaningful action to help Pavković, who suffered from two forms of cancer.
"For six months they did not establish a diagnosis, and then they treated him only with pain medication, and did so for months. It was almost as if they were waiting for the disease to progress, which is unacceptable in the 21st century", Pavković said.
She added that her father had wanted to sue both the Finnish prison authorities and the Finnish state.
"I will support such a lawsuit and file it if the attorney determines that we should proceed", Pavković said.
Attorney Srđan Aleksić announced that the Pavković family's lawsuit against NATO will be filed tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.
Aleksić previously explained that laboratory analyses conducted at an accredited Italian medical facility confirmed the presence of uranium and several toxic metals in Gen. Pavković's tissue at dramatically elevated concentrations.
He reminded that Gen. Pavković suffered from two cancers - thyroid cancer and pancreatic cancer - noting that the simultaneous occurrence of two or more cancers is typical of exposure to depleted uranium, a pattern also recorded among Italian KFOR soldiers who served in Kosovo and Metohija.
During NATO's bombing campaign, Pavković served as commander of the Third Army of the Yugoslav Army and traveled throughout Kosovo and Metohija, an area targeted with munitions containing depleted uranium.