Johan Tarčulovski

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Johan Tarčulovski
Native name
Јохан Тарчуловски (in Macedonian)
Born (1974-11-17) November 17, 1974 (age 50)
Ljubanci, SR Macedonia, SFR Yugoslavia
Allegiance Macedonia
Branch Macedonian Police
Years of service2001
UnitTigers (Tigri)
Battles / warsInsurgency in the Republic of Macedonia
SpouseSonja Veličkova
Children3
Criminal information
Criminal statusReleased
ConvictionsWar crimes (Murder, wanton destruction and cruel treatment)
TrialInternational Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
Criminal penalty12 years

Johan Tarčulovski (born November 17, 1974) is a Macedonian former police commander, politician and convicted war criminal. Among his political roles, he was a security inspector for Macedonian president Boris Trajkovski.[1][2] Tarčulovski was convicted for murder, wanton destruction and cruel treatment in Ljuboten during the 2001 conflict by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). He is the only Macedonian who was convicted for war crimes by the Hague Tribunal.

Life

[edit]

Tarčulovski was born in the village Ljubanci near Skopje in Butel Municipality on November 17, 1974.[3][4] He and his wife, Sonja (née Veličkova), a Macedonian folk singer, have three children.[5][6] He served as an inspector in the Security Service of Macedonian president Boris Trajkovski.[4] Tarčulovski led a police operation on August 12, 2001, in Ljuboten in retaliation of a mine attack of Macedonian soldiers near Ljuboten two days earlier.[7][8] Tarčulovski was indicted, along with Ljube Boškoski, on March 15, 2005.[4] He and Boškoski were the only Macedonian citizens to be prosecuted at the Hague Tribunal for events during the 2001 insurgency in Macedonia.[9] After the indictment, there was little public reaction in Macedonia. Macedonian authorities arrested him and extradited him to The Hague on March 16, 2005.[4][10] 

He was brought before the international court in The Hague. Tarčulovski pled not guilty on April 18, 2005.[11] On July 10, 2008,[12] he was convicted and sentenced to 12 years in prison (including time spent in custody),[13][14][15] as the trial chamber found him guilty of "ordering, planning and instigating the murder of three ethnic Albanian civilians in the village of Ljuboten, the wanton destruction of 12 houses or other property and the cruel treatment of 13 ethnic Albanian civilians".[16][17] However, the chamber also found that Tarčulovski was also acting under a superior's orders during the operation. The presiding judge stated: "The evidence does not enable the person or persons responsible for the orders to Johan Tarculovski to be identified. The circumstances confirm it was a person or persons superior to him."[18] The chamber also did not find him as responsible for four other deaths.[12] With his conviction, he became the only Macedonian to be convicted for war crimes by the Hague Tribunal.[19][20]

He appealed against his sentence. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia upheld his conviction and 12-year prison sentence. The Appeals Chamber rejected his appeal on May 19, 2010.[21][22] On July 7, 2011, he was transferred to a prison in Germany.[2] In February 2013, he appealed for early release to the German authorities.[23] In this 2013 application for early release, German authorities sent a psychological report, where it was mentioned that he lacked remorse for his offenses and saw others as being responsible for him.[24] After completing two-thirds of his sentence, he became eligible for early release in March.[20] On April 8, the Hague Tribunal granted him early release. The tribunal president cited psychological reports which mentioned that he did not have negative sentiments against local ethnic Albanians. Despite the lack of remorse, the president said he "appears to be a well behaved prisoner" and would not threaten society if released.[25] Locals in his birth village celebrated the news about his early release.[3] Tarčulovski was released from prison in the town Diez on April 10. He was welcomed by his wife, close friends and expatriates, as well as the Macedonian ambassadors to Germany and the Netherlands.[26]

The Macedonian government had spent €9,480,000 on lawyers and lobbying, court expenses and welcome-home parties for him and Boškoski.[27][28] His wife had received €5,000 each month for eight years from the VMRO DPMNE-led government while he was imprisoned.[29] He was welcomed as a hero in Skopje by the Macedonian government, his family, leaders of VMRO-DPMNE and thousands of supporters, who saw him as a patriot.[30][31] President Gjorge Ivanov and prime minister Nikola Gruevski welcomed him in their offices, perceiving him as a defender, regardless of the crimes he was imprisoned for.[31] Per Balkan Insight, local ethnic Albanians were not happy about the celebrations for his return.[32] Regarding his welcome, academic Biljana Vankovska stated: "In the context of the reconciliation process, this shows how far we are from it, that we have not even started it. Because if the majority of Macedonians perceive him as a hero, someone who was found by a court process to be responsible for the murder of civilians, and citizens of the Republic of Macedonia, let's not forget. That means we have learned very little from those lessons."[33] 

He later graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture at Goce Delčev University of Štip in agricultural engineering.[31][34] Tarčulovski also became the owner of a company called "Mel-Kom trans Dooel", managed by his wife. Thus, he ended up earning millions of euros from the company.[31] Tarčulovski joined VMRO-DPMNE and became its organizational secretary.[35] VMRO-DPMNE nominated him as a candidate in the parliamentary elections on December 11, 2016. A local political analyst said that his candidacy was an attempt by VMRO-DPMNE to win votes by exploiting patriotic sentiments.[19] Per Balkan Insight, local ethnic Albanians were unhappy about this candidacy.[35] He became a member of the parliament in 2016.[28][36][37] The Ministry of Interior identified him as one of the five VMRO-DPMNE members who opened the doors to allow attackers to storm the parliament on April 27, 2017.[38] He was later amnestied for this event.[39] Tarčulovski was also a mayoral candidate for the Kisela Voda Municipality in the 2017 elections. His membership in the parliament ended in 2020. He has served as an advisor of the director of the Customs Administration.[34]

References

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  1. ^ "ICD - Boškoski & Tarčulovski - Asser Institute". www.internationalcrimesdatabase.org. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  2. ^ a b "UN tribunal for Balkans crimes transfers convicted police officer to Germany | UN News". news.un.org. July 8, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Macedonia Awaits Tarculovski's Return From Prison". Balkan Insight. April 10, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d Македонска енциклопедија [Macedonian Encyclopedia] (in Macedonian). Skopje: Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts. 2009. p. 1468.
  5. ^ "Macedonia Awaits Tarculovski's Possible Release by Hague". Balkan Insight. March 18, 2013.
  6. ^ "(Фото) Специјално изненадување од најмалата ќерка за Соња Тарчуловска". Espreso (in Macedonian). November 7, 2025.
  7. ^ Katharina Margetts; Katerina I. Kappos (2010). "Current Developments at the Ad Hoc International Criminal Tribunals". Journal of International Criminal Justice. 8 (5): 1333. doi:10.1093/jicj/mqq060.
  8. ^ Ralph Crawshaw; Leif Holmström (2014). Essential Rules of Behaviour for Police in Armed Conflict, Disturbance and Tension: Legal Framework, International Cases and Instruments. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. p. 218. ISBN 9789004252288.
  9. ^ "Хашкиот трибунал за жалбата на Јохан Тарчуловски". Radio Free Europe (in Macedonian). February 19, 2010.
  10. ^ Christopher K. Lamont (2016). International Criminal Justice and the Politics of Compliance. Taylor & Francis. pp. 96, 98. ISBN 9781317114253.
  11. ^ A.Ch. Kiss; J.G. Lammers, eds. (2021). Hague Yearbook of International Law / Annuaire de La Haye de Droit International, Vol. 18. Brill. p. 124. ISBN 9789004480490.
  12. ^ a b "Former Macedonian official acquitted at Hague". NBC News. July 10, 2008.
  13. ^ Vasiliki P. Neofotistos (2018). "War Criminals, National Heroes, and Transitional Justice in Macedonia". In David W. Montgomery (ed.). Everyday Life in the Balkans. Indiana University Press. pp. 223–225. ISBN 9780253038203.
  14. ^ Tarčulovski's return to Macedonia, alfa.mk; accessed September 1, 2017. (in Macedonian)]
  15. ^ Biljana Vankovska on Johan Tarculovski's return, balkans.aljazeera.net; accessed September 1, 2017. (in Bosnian)]
  16. ^ "UN war crimes tribunal for the Balkans affirms police officer's conviction". UN News. May 19, 2010.
  17. ^ "Hague Frees Macedonia Minister, Jails Officer". Balkan Insight. July 10, 2008.
  18. ^ "Macedonian Officer Jailed for Crimes Against Albanians". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. July 14, 2008.
  19. ^ a b "Macedonian War Crimes Convict Runs for Parliament". Balkan Insight. November 14, 2016.
  20. ^ a b "Macedonia's Tarculovski Freed Early by Hague Court". Balkan Insight. April 8, 2013.
  21. ^ "ICTY: Tarculovski Conviction Upheld, Boskoski Acquitted". Balkan Insight. May 19, 2010.
  22. ^ "Johan Tarčulovski Transferred to Germany to Serve Sentence". ICTY. April 7, 2011.
  23. ^ "Macedonian Hague Convict Seeks Early Release". Balkan Insight. February 7, 2013.
  24. ^ Barbora Hola; Joris van Wijk; Francesca Constantini; Armi Korhonnen (2018). "Does Remorse Count? ICTY Convicts' Reflections on Their Crimes in Early Release Decisions". International Criminal Justice Review. 28 (4): 10. doi:10.1177/1057567718766228.
  25. ^ "Tribunal Grants Early Release to Macedonian Policeman". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. April 12, 2013.
  26. ^ "Тарчуловски ослободен од затвор". Deutsche Welle (in Macedonian). April 10, 2013.
  27. ^ "Macedonia: Huge Secret Payments Revealed". Balkan Insight. December 23, 2013.
  28. ^ a b Lina Strupinskienė (2023). "Life After Conviction at the International CriminalTribunal for the former Yugoslavia: Mapping the Empirical Reality". Journal of International Criminal Justice. 21 (1): 123, 126. doi:10.1093/jicj/mqad010.
  29. ^ "Macedonia Made Huge Payments to War Crimes Convict". Balkan Insight. October 19, 2017.
  30. ^ "Macedonia: War crimes convict gets hero's welcome". APNews. April 11, 2013.
  31. ^ a b c d "Вртоглава кариера на Тарчуловски – Хашкиот „херој" врти бизнис од 300.000 евра!". Fokus (in Macedonian). May 26, 2017.
  32. ^ "Macedonia: Ethnic Tensions in Court and Streets". Balkan Insight. December 26, 2013.
  33. ^ "Ослободувањето на Тарчуловски - шанса за помирување". Radio Free Europe (in Macedonian). April 11, 2013.
  34. ^ a b "Што го советува Јохан Тарчуловски директорот на Царината?". Nezavisen (in Macedonian). April 30, 2025.
  35. ^ a b "Macedonian War Crimes Convict Warns of Unrest". Balkan Insight. December 9, 2016.
  36. ^ Susanne Karstedt. ""I Would Prefer to Be Famous": Comparative Perspectives on the Reentry of War Criminals Sentenced at Nuremberg and The Hague". International Criminal Justice Review. 28 (4): 383. doi:10.1177/105756771876.
  37. ^ "Macedonian War Crimes Convict Enters Parliament". Balkan Insight. December 19, 2016.
  38. ^ "Јохан Тарчуловски кандидат на ВМРО-ДПМНЕ за Кисела Вода". Сакам Да Кажам (in Macedonian). September 14, 2017.
  39. ^ "Лустерите од седиштето на ВМРО ДПМНЕ, партијата ги донира во цркви и манастири". Kanal 5 (in Macedonian). April 8, 2019.