Editing Račak massacre (section)

==Consequences==
Many western governments, human rights groups and international organisations insisted that the Račak operation was a deliberate massacre, conducted in defiance of earlier Serbian agreements to end the violence in Kosovo. The OSCE, [[Council of Europe]], EU, NATO and the [[UN Security Council]]<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/19991112144648/http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/1999/19990119.sc6628.html Security Council Strongly Condemns Massacre Of Kosovo Albanians In Southern Kosovo]", United Nations Security Council Press Release SC/6628, 19 January 1999</ref> all issued strongly worded statements condemning the killings. On January 22, the [[Contact Group]] of countries with an interest in Yugoslavia ([[United Kingdom|Britain]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Italy]], [[Russia]] and the [[United States]]) issued a joint statement condemning "the massacre of Kosovo Albanians in Račak on 15 January. All members expressed their revulsion at this act of mass murder. No amount of provocation could justify it. The Contact Group condemns UCK [KLA] provocations which can only contribute to rising tensions and further violence... The Contact Group also condemns the decisions by the FRY authorities to refuse entry into Kosovo by ICTY Chief Prosecutor Judge Arbour." The Contact Group also called for Yugoslav authorities to "work with the International Tribunal to ensure that those responsible for Račak are brought to justice [and] suspend those [[Armed Forces of Serbia and Montenegro|VJ]] and [[Serbian Ministry of the Interior|MUP]] officers operating in Račak on 15 January pending the results of this investigation becoming available".<ref>"Contact Group, Chairman's Conclusions, London, 22 January 1999", in Heike Krieger, ''The Kosovo Conflict and International Law: An Analytical Documentation 1974-1999'', p. 197. Cambridge University Press, 2001</ref>

According to [[Edward S. Herman]], media collaboration assisted the Račak massacre in serving as a ''[[casus belli]]'' for the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. Ranta's news conference on 17 March 1999 during the final days of the [[Rambouillet Agreement]] talks, coupled with media outlets failing to mention the circumstances of the Serbian offensive in the area, helped to justify NATO involvement in Kosovo.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Herman |first1=Edward S. |last2=Peterson |first2=David |title=The Politics of Genocide |date=2010 |publisher=Monthly Review Pres |location=New York |isbn=9781583672129 |page=100}}</ref>

The UN Security Council and [[United Nations Secretary-General|Secretary General]] on January 31 described the event as a massacre perpetrated by Yugoslav security forces.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}

===ICTY indictment===
The ICTY issued a sealed indictment on 27 May 1999 for [[crimes against humanity]] and violations of the [[laws of war|laws and customs of war]] against a number of senior Yugoslav officials. These were [[Slobodan Milošević]] (President of Yugoslavia), [[Milan Milutinović]] (President of Serbia), [[Nikola Šainović]] (Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister), [[Dragoljub Ojdanić]] (Chief of the General Staff of the Yugoslav Army) and [[Vlajko Stojiljković]] (Serbian Interior Minister).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.icty.org/sid/7765 |title=TPIY : President Milosevic and Four other Senior Fry Officials Indicted for Murder, Persecution and Deportation in Kosovo |publisher=ICTY |access-date=2013-02-05}}</ref> The Račak massacre was added by the ICTY prosecutors in an amended indictment,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.icty.org/x/cases/slobodan_milosevic/ind/en/mil-2ai011029e.htm |title=Milosevic et al. "Kosovo" - Second Amended Indictment |publisher=Icty.org |access-date=2013-02-05}}</ref> but was subsequently dropped from the case, to "improve the expeditiousness of the proceedings while ensuring that they remain fair".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.icty.org/en/press/five-senior-serb-officials-convicted-kosovo-crimes-one-acquitted |title=Five Senior Serb Officials Convicted of Kosovo Crimes, One Acquitted |publisher=Icty.org |access-date=2021-06-30}}</ref>