Kosovo Guerrillas Deny Abusing Wartime Prisoners

In their closing statements in the high-profile Klecka case on Tuesday, defence lawyers for the five men, who are on trial with five others including former KLA commander Fatmir Limaj, said they were not guilty. The lawyers for Arben Krasniqi, Naser Krasniqi, Nexhmi Krasniqi, Behlul Limaj and Naser Shala urged the court to acquit them of all charges of abusing Serb civilians and Serb prisoners of war at Klecka during the 1998-99 conflict in Kosovo. “Arben was wounded and unconscious in hospital… how was it possible for him to serve at the Klecka prison?” said Fehmie Gashi-Bytyci, the lawyer for Arben Krasniqi, in her final statement. Albanian civilians suspected of collaboration with the Serbian regime, Serbian civilians and Serbian police and military personnel were allegedly detained at Klecka, which according to the indictment also served as a detention centre for KLA soldiers investigated or sentenced for disciplinary offences. Last week, the prosecution made its closing statement which was mainly based on the diaries and statements of Agim Zogaj, known as ‘Witness X’, who was a guard at the Klecka prison but was found dead in a park in Germany in September 2011. Limaj and the other defendants were initially acquitted of the charges last year but the prosecution successfully appealed against the verdict and the case was sent for a retrial. The ex-commander turned politician has again denied the charges. The verdict in the case is expected on September 17.