The two ethnic Serbs arrested today in the north of Kosovo have been remanded to 48-hours in custody, and they are being charged with war crimes, their lawyers confirmed.
Two arrests were carried out in the North this morning. Within an hour, I.E. was arrested near the Technical School in North Mitrovica while D.M. was arrested in Zvecan.
D.M.’s defense attorney, Milos Delevic, said in a statement for KoSSev that his client is accused of allegedly mistreating civilians in Vucitrn during the war, and that he has been detained for 48 hours.
Delevic added that a hearing will be held tomorrow, where a decision would be made on the eventual detention measure.
„He is currently in the police station in Pristina and will be brought before the judge tomorrow,“ he stressed.
Delevic also says that his client claims to be innocent, as well as that he worked in the Kosovo Police for 10 years, when he passed all assessments.
„It should be emphasized that he also has a dispute over usurped property,“ Delevic said briefly.
He emphasized that for now he cannot share details about the case itself, because it is too early for that, adding that he will have more information after tomorrow’s hearing.
At the same time, Delevic could not confirm whether I.E. is connected to the same case.
I. E.’s lawyer, Ljubomir Pantovic, at a press conference held near the main bridge in North Mitrovica this afternoon, confirmed that his client is also charged with war crimes against the civilian population.
However, he did not give details about the case itself.
On the other hand, he revealed that I.E. had been detained for 48 hours, but also that, due to health issues, he was transferred to a hospital in Pristina.
Pantovic also shared his expectation that the prosecution will submit a request for custody and that a hearing will be held tomorrow.
After this morning’s arrests in Zvecan and North Mitrovica, the Kosovo police arrested another ethnic Serb in the village of Priluzje, as official Belgrade confirmed in the meantime.
The head of the Kosovo Office, Petar Petkovic, held a press conference following the arrests.
„Today’s arrests and kidnappings are carried out exclusively on the orders of Albin Kurti, who wants to expel the Serbian people, and this is an example of the ethnic cleansing of the Serbian people from Kosovo,“ he said, adding that Kurti „wants war“ and that, despite criticism coming from the West, the Kosovo PM has the support of the part of the West that keeps referring to the guilt of „two sides“.
The Prosecutor’s Office in Pristina confirmed today that three individuals of Serbian ethnicity were arrested, but also that all three are charged with alleged war crimes. They did not, however, provide other details about the arrests, including where they took place.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
