Ex-Kosovo Rebels Accused of War Crimes -Indictment

ABC News ^

[FireWall]

Nov. 21

— By Shaban Buza

PRISTINA, Yugoslavia (Reuters) - An international prosecutor in Kosovo has charged four former rebels with war crimes against fellow ethnic Albanians in 1998-99, according to a copy of the indictment obtained by Reuters on Thursday.

The prosecutor who issued the indictment, dated November 19, was not immediately available for comment. International officials are part of Kosovo's judicial system to ensure unbiased trials.

It would be the first time former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), which battled Serb forces during the Kosovo conflict, have been indicted for war crimes.

The alleged victims were detained by the rebel force because they were suspected of collaborating with Serb authorities, according to a copy in Albanian of the indictment.

Many Kosovo Albanians regard former KLA fighters as heroes in a war of liberation against harsh Serb rule when Slobodan Milosevic ruled Yugoslavia.

One of the accused is well-known former regional commander Rrustem Mustafa -- known as Remi. He was arrested in August. The three others served under him in northeastern Kosovo, two of whom were high-ranking officers.

"The accusations are very serious, unfounded...and even insulting," Remi's lawyer Mexhit Syla told Reuters. He did not confirm that the charges were related to war crimes.

The indictment accused the four of involvement in the kidnapping, illegal detention, beating and torturing of ethnic Albanian civilians. Three of them, including Remi, were accused of ordering and taking part in the killing of some of the victims.

Western officials insist they will crack down on former rebels guilty of crimes, despite the risk of protest.

Thousands of Kosovo Albanians took to the streets in August to protest against the arrest by U.N. police of Remi. The three co-accused were arrested in January.

The indictment said 30 witnesses would appear in court, but it did not make clear when the trial would start. It was also not clear whether the U.N. war crimes tribunal may have a role.

U.N. chief war crimes prosecutor Carla del Ponte said last month she was having trouble building the first charges against Kosovo Albanians because witnesses were too frightened to testify.

She had earlier said that three former guerrillas were under investigation, responding to months of criticism from Belgrade that only Serbs have been charged for atrocities in Kosovo.

Remi was suspended in 2001 from his post in the Kosovo Protection Corps, a civilian emergency successor force of the KLA, after he appeared on a U.S. blacklist of people suspected of trying to destabilize the Balkans.

Five other ex-guerrillas went on trial earlier this month accused of abducting and beating four fellow ethnic Albanians who subsequently disappeared, presumed murdered.

Kosovo has been under U.N. rule since NATO bombing drove out Serb forces in the summer of 1999 to end their harsh treatment of Albanians under Milosevic, now standing trial in The Hague for war crimes.

[FireWall]

I wonder if any of these "peaceful" KLA dolts will spill the beans on Thaci and Ceku? This is bad news for Hopppy, he really liked these guys...

[FireWall]

bump

[Dragonfly]

Interesting news. Bump!

[Andy from Beaverton]

This is a first? Wonder if it's the beginning of a trend?

[vooch]

seems Clinton's dear ally Commander Remi.........excuse me for Clinton promoted Remi to Major General and paid Remi accordingly............has finally gotten for his crimes.

Please recall that Clinton in his offical report to Congress stated that we had operational control over the KPC/KLA and MajorGeneral Remi was second in command at that time.

Also please note that since Clinton and his HumWarriors took control of Kosovo the civilian murder rate has risen fourfold

Clinton thought he would be clever by allying us with the KLA.........it turned out to be a fiasco.

[vooch]

Freepers knew the scoop on Remi long before the liberal media did

KLA Commander Remi expells 220,000 Albanians during Kosovo Bombing
http://www.FreeRepublic.com/forum/a3936a8471c59.htm

Why does Kfor support KLA killer Remi ?
http://www.FreeRepublic.com/forum/a38a336d53291.htm

The last article is a illuminating summary of Remi's killing spree against loyalist and moderate Albanians. It is for these crimes that Remi has been arrested.

[FireWall]

You forgot to bump Hopppy on this, I'm sure bowels need some cleaning.

[vooch]

poor liberal HumWarriors for they are so loud when presenting their lies, but so silent when faced with the cold hard facts.

Now that their KLA allies have been proven to be the primary cause of death and destruction in Kosovo, the HumWarriors are silent abd refuse to acknowledge their erros. Instead the HumWarriors simply change the subject.

[Kate22]

U.N. chief war crimes prosecutor Carla del Ponte said last month she was having trouble building the first charges against Kosovo Albanians because witnesses were too frightened to testify.

Strange that - they didn't seem to have any such problems in randomly shipping Serbs off the the Hague. It was more a case of imprison them first and then find the 'evidence'.

[FireWall]

I do really wonder if they'll spill the beans on Thaci or Ceku though, that would certainly drive another nail into the Clinton foreign policy legacy, hopefully everyone still remembers that Thaci attended the DNC Convention in support for Clinton's alter ego Al Gore.

Ceku still has some "splanin'" to do over his involvement in Oluja. Very interesting times ahead...

[ABrit]

But I thought you said the ICTY was anti Serb. How can it be that they have indicted Croats, and now Kosovo Albanians. Where are your protestations that the wicked ICTY are picking on innocent Kosovans, and Croats.

Like I said many times before, the Balkans has many bad people in it. Hopefully the ICTY will indict as many as possible. Hopefully it will be a warning to all others who indulge in, or incite inter ethnic violence.

I say hopefully because I see no evidence from pro-Serb posters here, that they have learnt any useful lessons.

[joan]

These Albanians aren't being tried in The Hague, but in Kosovo, and they are not being tried for killing and torturing Serbs, just other Albanians.

The ICTY tries a token few Croats and Muslims, but mostly for crimes against one or the other - not Serbs. They never indicted Tudjman or Izetbegovic.

Also, they allow Croatia to try Croats for crimes against Serbs instead of having them tried by the ICTY. And what do the Croats do but get their people off - like they recently did for the 8 Croats accused of torturing and killing Serbs in Lora prison during the war. They allow Croatia to have these trials despite threats against witnesses.

[vooch]

indeed Joan, it turns out that Abrit's KLA heros murdered a few thousand Albanian civilians............wonder if Abrit is at all concerned about those Albanians who were murdered by the KLA ?

[Kate22]

There you go again... just clouding the issue with facts :o)

[Kate22]

You are so uniformed about this subject that you still believe that everyone who was against the attack on Serbia therefore must be 'pro-Serb' as opposed to against the actions of their own governments, as member states of Nato, and the misuse of their troops and taxes.

You cannot differentiate between individuals and the state, between the ICTY and the judicial system running in Kosovo, between Milosevic and Saddam... you even start chucking around ridiculous labels like crypto-communism without having a clue what it means. I don't suppose that you'll give a damn about this, but people (of all backgrounds, seeing as you rate the value of life on ethnicity) are still dying in Kosovo and other areas of Serbia on a daily basis because of Nato's actions, and all you are concerned about is painting all Serbs as bad and all Albanians as good.

If you care at all about Britain, pay attention to some of the results of Bliar's campaign which are creating major longterm problems in the UK. Rather than grunting your way through more insults to the Serbian people, who I doubt have ever done anything to you, why don't you actually compose a new argument all on your own. Otherwise it just becomes too boring.

Your knowledge of the Balkans is based on some trip in the 70's and the Daily Mirror/ BBC. Hardly inspirational or deserving of debate.

[ABrit]

Poor old Kate. It must be hard for you to be on the losing side all the time. Aligning yourself with the Serbs, the PLO, Al Quaida, Saddam, in fact anyone who is anti-American. Because your hatred of free, capitalist America is the root of your political belief.

Why don't you move to some communist "paradise", like Cuba, or the Ukraine. They have some very nice old style dictators there.

One day maybe you will realise that communism, and socialism is finished. No majority will ever vote for it. In short, you are a relic of the past, you are irrelevant.

[Kate22]

"It must be hard for you to be on the losing side all the time. Aligning yourself with the Serbs, the PLO, Al Quaida, Saddam, in fact anyone who is anti-American. Because your hatred of free, capitalist America is the root of your political belief."

Oh, puhleese, what a pathetic shot. How you make the leap between anyone being against the bombing of Serbia and therefore being in favour of Saddam Hussein is something that only you know. Do you think that anyone normal would make that link? It's a sign of total naivety which just makes you look stupid.

Actually, Albanski Brit, your KLA buddies support all of the groups currently threatening America, Britain and the rest of the Western world. And the Blair NEW LABOUR LEFT WING government which you support worked with Clinton to directly support Muslim fundamentalism. You are in favour of some of the oldest churches in the heart of Europe being destroyed, and people still being attacked, terrorised and murdered by your pals in the KLA.

You are a fraud 'ABrit'. No-one is so blindly anti-Serb with not a bad word to say about the KLA - the Albanian mafia - (even now!!) without having a very specific agenda. Either that, or you're just a very bored person from Surrey (who would blame you) who just gets their kicks from saying obnoxious things that you would never have the ba*ls to say to anyone's face.

[ABrit]

Well, you ally yourself with the likes of George Galloway (MP for Bagdad Central), Alice Mahon, Tony Benn, all of whom are anti American politicians. they are pro PLO, pro Saddam, pro Cuba, pro Serb, pro Al Quaida, (to the extent that they say, "Al Quaida shouldn't have done what they did, but it's all Americas fault", and they obstruct every measure proposed to defeat them). Your politics mirrors exactly that of the crypto communist Socialist Worker "types".

The idea that New Labour is a left wing government is laughable. The only reason they got elected was that they were not a "Labour" party, and that is why you don't like Blair.

In your desperation you make charges you can never substantiate. I am not a "friend of the KLA", my position is that Milosevic and his cronies were the worst of a very bad bunch. I am not in favour of Churches or Mosques, or Synagogues being burned.

The truth hurts doesn't it.

[Kate22]

Listen KLABrit - you are becoming very boring. I don't align myself with anyone, but I respect individuals on certain issues from both Left and Right. It's called being broad-minded.

Labour belongs in opposition, and the Tories certainly can't play that role.

You blindly hate a European Christian country and believe all the KLA propaganda because Blaair and his New Labour cronies tell you to. More fool you - we are now seeing the results of supporting the Albanian mafia, and now they have a foothold in Britain they are here to stay, which is terrible for the UK and the rest of Europe.

According to you, everyone who was against the bombing of Serbia is pro Saddam, pro Bin Laden, anti-American... this is quite ridiculous, loaded with ignorance, and offensive to more than half of the people on FR who were against the bombing. I suppose you would compare the atrocities in Kosovo with the real genocide that took place in Rwanda?! Why don't you care about that I wonder. Probably because Princess Antonia didn't turn it into a cause celebre.