Lawyers of Zaric and Pantic appealed to the Court of Appeals against the decision on detention

Lawyers Dejan A. Vasic and Nebojsa Vlajic, representing Zarko Zaric and Momir Pantic, have confirmed to Kosovo Online that they had filed appeals with the Court of Appeals today regarding the decision to detain their clients.

Zarko Zaric and Momir Pantic were remanded in custody for 30 days by the Basic Court in Pristina yesterday, on suspicion of committing alleged war crimes in the municipality of Istok during the Kosovo conflict.

Their lawyers, Dejan A. Vasic and Nebojsa Vlajic, filed the appeals with the Court of Appeals today.

"I expect that the Court of Appeals will consider the appeal and, in line with previous practice, allow my client to defend himself freely, given that he lives in Kosovo," Zarko Zaric's defense attorney, Dejan A. Vasic, said in a statement to Kosovo Online.

Zarko Zaric (1954) from the village of Ljubozde, municipality of Istok, is suspected by the prosecution of allegedly committing war crimes against the civilian population in Kosovo during the period from 1998 to 1999. He was arrested in his village on Saturday.

Momir Pantic, from Istok, who was arrested the day before Zaric, at the Merdare administrative crossing, is accused of command responsibility for certain events that occurred during the Kosovo conflict in 1999, in the municipality of Istok.