FORMER KLA COMMANDER CONDEMNS ARREST OF FIVE KLA FIGHTERS
KosovaPress - October 29, 2003

Prishtina - (Xhabir) Zharku has stressed that the most revolting is that UCK (Kosovo Liberation Army) soldiers are being arrested using Mafia-style methods without any warning.

"During the arrest, the suspects and their families were mistreated and weapons were pointed at the heads of small children. This reminds us of the time of Serbian-Slav occupation, especially since these arrests were carried out by the units of the Italian carabinieri, given that Italy is a traditional ally of the Serbs."

Xhabir Zharku, former commander of the UCK's 162nd Agim Ramadani Brigade in the Nerodime (Nerodimlje) Operative Zone spoke to Kosovapress following the arrest of five former members of the UCK, who have been charged according to the laws of the former Yugoslavia with alleged "crimes against civilians".

Zharku has said that the indignation among the fighters and the population rose even more when they were accused of "war crimes" by international bodies under old Yugoslavian laws. "Therefore, the question is why did the international community come here - to defend peace and stability in Kosova (Kosovo) or crimes and criminals," he said.

In his statement, the UCK commander also said, "With their actions, the Italian carabinieri and other units are proving that they are here to carry out the duties of the Serbian police, whereas prosecutors and judges are carrying out the duties of Serbian prosecutors and judges."

According to him, "these actions will not lead to peace and stability in the country, but to further escalation of the situation."

Source: Kosovapress news agency, Pristina, in Albanian 29 Oct 03

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Editorial Note: What KosovaPress tell it's Albanian readers is that those 5 KLA members were arrested for the illegal detention, torture and killing of four of their fellow ethnic Albanians and the torture of a fifth Albanian victim who survived.

Apparently it is considered an outrage by the KLA that Yugoslavia denied rights as basic as the right to murder, and right to torture, and I can certainly see why. I mean, what the Hell sort of oppressive country outlaws things like murder and torture?

-- Andy Wilcoxson

U.N., NATO arrest five former ethnic Albanian rebels for Kosovo war crimes
Associated Press - October 28, 2003, Tuesday, BC cycle

By FISNIK ABRASHI, Associated Press Writer

PRISTINA, Serbia-Montenegro - U.N. police and NATO-led peacekeepers arrested five former ethnic Albanian rebels for alleged war crimes in Kosovo, officials said Tuesday.

The five were arrested Monday in the town of Kacanik, 36 miles south of Pristina, said Chris Thompson, a spokesman for the NATO-led peacekeepers in Kosovo.

They have been charged by a local U.N.-run court with the illegal detention, torture and killing of four fellow ethnic Albanians suspected of collaborating with Serb authorities during Belgrade's 1998-1999 crackdown on Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority, local media said. They are also charged with torturing a fifth victim who survived.

All five were low-ranking members of the now-disbanded Kosovo Liberation Army, which battled Serb forces during the war. One is a member of Kosovo's police service, media said.

The arrest of the five ethnic Albanians in Kosovo was the second time a U.N.-run court in the province moved against the former rebels and their alleged involvement in war crimes committed in the province.

Earlier this year, a court in Pristina convicted and sentenced four former rebels to prison terms ranging from five to 17 years for ordering the killing, illegal arrest and torture of fellow ethnic Albanians suspected of collaborating with the Serbian regime of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

The United Nations and NATO have administered Kosovo since June 1999, following an alliance bombing campaign that ended the crackdown of Serb forces on independence-seeking ethnic Albanians.

SECTION: International News

LENGTH: 256 words

Copyright 2003 Associated Press
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