Serbian Court Deliberates Quashing Treason Conviction of WWII Commander

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — A Belgrade court is considering quashing the treason conviction against Gen. Draza Mihailovic for his collaboration with Nazis during World War II, which would politically rehabilitate the controversial Serbian guerrilla commander almost 70 years after he was sentenced and shot to death by communists.

Dozens of nationalist supporters and leftist opponents of Mihailovic gathered in front of the Higher Court on Friday. They were kept apart by riot police.

For decades, Mihailovic's fate has fueled division in Serbia, where many see him as a hero who died for political reasons.

Pro-communists, however, maintain that he collaborated with the Nazi occupiers, and non-Serbs in the former Yugoslavia have accused his troops, known as Chetniks, of committing numerous atrocities.

It was not clear if the court would make the ruling on Friday.

(Story by: The Associated Press)