War Crimes Claims Against Kosovo Ex-Fighters Revealed

BIRN has received parts of a document which resemble a war crimes indictment and detail the alleged violent abuses committed against Kosovo Albanian prisoners and at least one Serbian policeman by the seven suspects, ex-KLA fighters known as the ‘Drenica Group'.The EU rule of law mission in Kosovo is investigating former security forces commander Sylejman Selimi, the mayor of Skenderaj/Srbica, Sami Lushtaku, and five other suspects over alleged war crimes against prisoners at the Likovc/Likovac detention centre during the 1998-99 war.But a source inside the EU rule of law mission, EULEX, said that no indictment had been raised against the suspects so far."The process is in the investigation phase, there is no indictment yet," the source told BIRN.According to the document received by BIRN, ex-security commander Selimi "in his capacity as a KLA member and as a person exercising control over the Likovc detention centre in co-perpetration with Sami Lushtaku, Avni Zabeli and Sahit Jashari, violated the bodily integrity and the health of an undefined number of Albanian civilians" held at the detention centre.In September 1998, he is alleged to have abused a prisoner referred to as ‘Witness A' by "beating him with fists and wooden sticks".He is also alleged to have "ordered Witness B, another civilian held in the Likovc detention centre, to repeatedly strike Witness A with a wooden plank and pinched Witness A's genitals with an iron tool, subsequently dragging him on the floor with it".Lushtaku, the mayor of Skenderaj/Srbice mayor is being investigated for killing one man and ill-treating other prisoners at the KLA detention centre, the document says."In an undetermined location between the villages of Galica and Dubovc, on an undetermined date in September 1998", Lushtaku allegedly "killed an unknown Albanian civilian prisoner by shooting him three times in the head with a TT pistol", it says.Along with other KLA members, Lushtaku is being investigated for abusing "an undefined number of Albanian civilians" at the detention centre.Another suspect, Sahit Jashari, is being investigated for, amongst other things, "repeatedly violating the bodily integrity and the health of Ivan Bulatovic, a Serbian police officer held captive at the hands of the KLA"."More precisely, the defendant participated in the crime by taking on several occasions Ivan Bulatovic to the market square in Likovc/Likovac, by announcing publicly that whoever wanted to beat Bulatovic could do so, and by keeping the victim at the disposal of an undetermined number of persons who slapped and hit him," the document says.The investigation became public on Thursday when five of the suspects were arrested by EULEX and Kosovo police.All seven suspects were put under house arrest for 30 days on Saturday, and EULEX prosecutor Maurizio Salustro mentioned six potential witnesses who could testify about abuses at the Likovc/Likovac detention centre.The arrests sparked an angry reaction in Pristina where a mass protest was staged on Monday.Protesters called for the ex-guerrillas' release and urged the authorities to put an end to EULEX's mandate in Kosovo.Once an indictment is raised, the case will be the third high-profile war crimes case launched by EULEX since its mission in Kosovo began in 2008.Three ex-KLA commanders, Latif Gashi, Rrustem Mustafa and Nazif Mehmeti - the so-called ‘Llapi Group' - are currently on trial for allegedly abusing civilians in the Llapashtica/Lapastica prison.Former KLA commander and transport minister, Fatmir Limaj, and nine other defendants are also on trial for allegedly abusing Serb and Albanian civilians and Serb prisoners of war at the Klecka detention centre.In a separate case, Lushtaku, the mayor of Skenderaj/Srbica, is one of six defendants accused of waging a hate campaign against BIRN Kosovo director Jeta Xharra.