Spokesperson for Serbia’s Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor Bruno Vekaric announced March 13 the arrest of nine individuals suspected of committing war crimes during the 1998-1999 Kosovo war. The nine, members of the Serbian paramilitary group Sakali, are accused of the systematic murders of 41 ethnic Albanians in May 1999. In all, roughly 200 civilians residing in and around the village of Cuska are believed to have been killed by these and 15 other suspects. Those in custody are scheduled to appear before an investigative judge.
In June, Amnesty International marked the 10-year anniversary of the war’s end by reporting that many human rights abuses that occurred during the war in Kosovo have gone uninvestigated and unpunished. Prosecutors have nonetheless secured some convictions. A week after AI’s report, a Serbian court convicted four former paramilitary leaders of killing 14 Albanians in northern Kosovo. In April, four Serbian ex-police were convicted of killing of 48 Albanian civilians in Suva Reka.
From Jurist, March 13. Used with permission.
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