Todorovic: Detained A.D. ordered up to 48 hours of police custody

Serb A.D. from the village of Grncare in the Kosovo Pomoravlje region, who was arrested today on suspicion of an alleged war crime, has been ordered police detention for up to 48 hours, his lawyer Nikola Todorovic confirmed for Kosovo Online.

Todorovic stated that A.D. is currently being held at the detention center in Lipljan.

“He is accused of an alleged war crime and of being present when an individual was beaten at a police station in Kacanik. We do not have details; we do not even know who filed the report against him,” Todorovic said.

He added that a hearing to determine pre-trial detention will most likely be held tomorrow.

According to the lawyer, A.D. denies the allegations, stating that he was not even in Kacanik during the relevant period.

“He has lived in Kosovo the entire time and has never left. We will prove that he did not commit the criminal offense he is accused of,” Todorovic emphasized.

The Special Prosecution announced earlier today that A.D. was arrested on suspicion of committing the criminal offense of “war crimes against the civilian population” in the village of Ivaja and surrounding areas in the municipality of Kacanik.

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija stated that the detention of A.D., a retired police officer, 26 years after the conflict, demonstrates that Pristina continues the persecution of the Serbian people in Kosovo.

“In an effort to provoke and intimidate the Serbian population in these areas, the authorities in Pristina continue the practice of arbitrarily arresting Serbs, typically without any relevant evidence or credible witnesses, which indicates a clear political background to such actions,” the Office for Kosovo and Metohija said in a statement.