Krivokapic: Court orders up to 30 days’ detention for four Serbs from Suvo Grlo

The Basic Court in Pristina has ordered detention of up to 30 days for four of the five Serbs from Suvo Grlo who were arrested on suspicion of alleged war crimes, attorney Jelena Krivokapic confirmed to Kosovo Online.

“Detention has been ordered for four suspects for a period of up to one month, while one individual, N.T., has been released to defend himself from liberty,” she stated.

She added that there is a 48-hour deadline to file an appeal, which the four defense attorneys representing the arrested Serbs intend to use.

Krivokapic further noted that the detention ruling is 19 pages long and written in the Albanian language.

Attorney Jelena Kragovic, defense counsel for Ratko Kragovic, stated that the court’s decision and the prosecution’s request are contrary to the Criminal Procedure Code.

“Today we have received the decision of the Special Department of the Basic Court in Pristina granting the prosecution’s request and ordering detention for my client, Ratko Kragovic, for a period of 30 days. In the opinion of the defense, the court’s decision and the prosecution’s request are contrary to the Criminal Procedure Code. Not a single word mentions the statement of any witness incriminating my client. The prosecution merely listed the names of witnesses, without specifying what those individuals actually said, and the court accepted this in full,” Kragovic told for Kosovo Online.

She also announced that the defense, dissatisfied with the court’s ruling, will file an appeal with the Court of Appeals within the statutory deadline.

Five Serbs from Suvo Grlo were arrested on March 1. As the daughter of one of the detainees told Kosovo Online, Kosovo Police entered all the houses simultaneously at around 6 a.m.

Earlier, the Kosovo Special Prosecution and Kosovo Police announced that five individuals had been arrested in an operation codenamed “Suvo Grlo,” on suspicion of war crimes against the civilian population allegedly committed in that village in 1998.

Commenting on the arrests, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic stated that Kosovo is following Croatia’s example, but that the essence of the matter is that Pristina enjoys tacit support from the Western world regardless of its actions.

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija also reacted, stating that the arrests for alleged war crimes serve as a pretext for retaliation and harassment of Serbs by Albin Kurti, and that it is clear this is part of a plan to instill fear within the Serbian enclave.