Alley of meritorious citizens at the New Cemetery in Belgrade on Wednesday (October 22) will become an eternal resting place for former mayor General Staff of the Yugoslav Army Nebojša Pavković.
He will thus find himself in the company of the writer and Nobel laureate Ivo Andrić, the first democratic prime minister of the FR Yugoslavia Zoran Đinđić, actors Olivera and Radet Marković, Nebojša Glogovac, Zoran Radmilović, Dragan Nikolić and Milena Dravić, writers Danil Kiš, Meša Selimović, Miloš Crnjansog, painter Petar Lubarda and many other important figures.
Actors, writers, poets, athletes, singers, politicians, important personalities who have contributed to Serbia with their work and contribution are buried in the Alley of Meritorious Citizens.
Who decides whose place is in the "Alley of Meritorious Citizens"
According to the Decision on the management of cemeteries, burials and funeral activities in the territory of the city of Belgrade, a deserving person who can be buried in a special plot for the burial of the remains of deserving persons can be buried those who were distinguished and made an appropriate contribution in the field of work in which they worked.
A reasoned proposal to bury the remains of a deserving person in Alleys of Deserving Citizens given by the institution of which the deceased was a member, with the prior consent of his spouse or close family members.
The proposal is further decided by the Commission for evaluation of the justification of the proposal for burial in the Alley of Merited Citizens, which is established by decision of the Mayor of the City of Belgrade.
According to this decision, the commission consists of representatives of the relevant ministries, the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, the Olympic Committee of Serbia, the competent organizational unit of the City Administration of the City of Belgrade and others.
The decision that such a commission decides who will be buried in the Alley of Meritorious Citizens was made in 2024.
The previous decision did not envisage a commission, but that is why it was prescribed that the mayor of the City of Belgrade can decide that another person who was prominent during his life in the area in which he worked, can be buried in the Alley of meritorious citizens.
What is the Alley of Meritorious Citizens?
A special plot at the New Cemetery in Belgrade, designed by architect Svetislav Ličina, was built in 1965. year and represents a special architectural unit where more than 800 persons of special importance for Serbian and Yugoslav history and culture have been buried so far.
Apart from it, there is an Alley of meritorious citizens of Belgrade at the New Bezanija cemetery.
The alley at the New Cemetery was first called the Cemetery of Deserving Citizens.
It covers an area of about 4.200 square meters in the New Cemetery and has been expanded several times. The last time was in 2011.
In April 2024, it was said that there were still 19 places left in it.
Photo: WikipediaAlley of meritorious citizens at the New Cemetery
Technical capabilities
A person can be buried in a tomb where chests are placed, rosariums designed for placing urns in the ground and columbariums, partitions in semi-circular concrete walls, conchas.
The tombs can be arranged next to each other or placed in a circle of five in a row, spreading radially. Due to the concept that all are buried "equal in merit - regardless of occupation", the plaques are the same.
The first people buried in the Alley were the revolutionary Risto Stefanović and the writer Risto Minderović, and Miodrag Kostića, the founder and president of MK Grupa, was among the last to be buried there.
From Wednesday, October 22, it will also contain the remains of Nebojsa Pavković.
During the NATO attack on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1999, General Pavković was the commander of the Third Army of the Yugoslav Army, which was deployed in the area of Kosovo and Metohija.
In 2009, the Hague Tribunal sentenced him to 22 years in prison, and the prosecution charged him with crimes against humanity and violation of the laws and customs of war.
The indictment against Pavković was unsealed in October 2003, and he surrendered to the Hague Tribunal in 2005.
At the end of September 2025. The Hague Mechanism decided to prematurely release General Nebojša Pavković due to his poor health.
He later arrived in Belgrade, where he died.
Photo: Ministry of DefenseNebojsa Pavković
What is Belgrade's message?
While the rest of the Balkans is writing about the crimes for which the deceased General Nebojsa Pavković was found guilty, the Serbian regime's media are saying goodbye to the "hero", and the narrative of the state leadership is similar.
President Aleksandar Vučić, Prime Minister Đuro Macut, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dačić and Minister of Defense Bratislav Gašić expressed their condolences.
Vučić wrote in his condolence telegram on the occasion of Pavković's death:
"During his many years of service, he left the mark of an officer who performed his duties with a strong sense of responsibility, dedication and belonging to Serbia, taking care of the people he worked with and carrying out the tasks entrusted to him."
While Pavkovic was in charge of Kosovo, Vučić was the Minister of Information in the Government of the FRY. Perhaps that is why it is not surprising that for him the man who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for participating in a "joint criminal enterprise" during the war in Kosovo, whose goal was the persecution and forced removal of Kosovo Albanians, as stated in the verdict, and who was found guilty of murder, is not a war criminal.
The relativization of crime has been present in Serbia for a long time, and with the decision to include Nebojša Pavković among the meritorious citizens, the Serbian authorities are sending a message that another convicted war criminal is celebrated here as a hero.
This October, "Vreme" celebrates and honors - as much as 35 percent discount for our 35th birthday! Valid for semi-annual and annual subscriptions. Subscribe now!
