A Belgrade court condemns former KLA member in absentia to 15 years in prison

On February 26th, Krasniqi was found guilty of killing three people and wounding a Serb civilian in June 1999 in the village of Bellopoja near Pec.

The Fund for Humanitarian Law in Serbia has said the indictment against Krasniqi is based mainly on witness statements and limited forensic and forensic evidence, and that the defence attorney, under official duty, had no contact with the defendant.

This nongovernmental organisation has said that co-operation with Kosovo judicial institutions is necessary for prosecuting crimes against Serbs in Kosovo.

The fact that Krasniqi has been convicted of crimes against civilians by the District Court of Pec in 2009” is, writes in the statement. REL, broadcast Periscope.

It also mentions that the insufficient judgments in Kosovo war crimes cases are becoming more frequent and that “created the impression that the motives for starting such procedures stem in part from legal retaliation and not exclusively from the desire to achieve justice for victims”.

The Fund has recalled that the War Crimes Prosecutor's Office in Serbia has so far filed seven indictments against persons who are not available to the Serbian judiciary, and that five are against Kosovo citizens for crimes committed against the non-Albanian population.

Since 2014, the War Crimes Prosecutor's Office has filed no new indictment for crimes in Kosovo against persons who are citizens of Serbia.

In response to these criticisms, the War Crimes Prosecutor's Office has earlier told Radio Free Europe that the “at begin and conduct procedures in line with evidence and law”.

Serbia, in addition to raising indictments and trials in absentia, has continued to ban Kosovo citizens at border points.

The recent arrest occurred on February 5th, when a former member of The KLA was arrested at the border checkpoint between Serbia and Croatia. The European Commission then warned that the arrest and prosecution of a Kosovo citizen by Serbian authorities represented another violation of Serbia's obligations under agreements reached within dialogue with Kosovo, with the European Union's mediation in Brussels.

Serbia has pledged not to start criminal investigations or prosecution for alleged crimes committed in Kosovo, unless requested by Kosovo authorities”, a European Commission spokesman for Radio Free Europe said.

He added that charges of war crimes and other serious crimes are within the jurisdiction of Kosovo institutions and urged Serbia to meet its obligations. /Periscopi