Montenegro: Court releases a Serbian citizen sought by Kosovo for alleged war crimes

The Higher Court in Bijelo Polje has released Serbian citizen Zivko Vuksanovic (62), whose extradition was requested by Kosovo, it was confirmed for RFE in that court.

Vuksanovic had been in extradition custody since October 1, based on a Kosovo indictment accusing him of committing war crimes against the civilian population.

The Higher Court initially decided on October 27 to extradite Vuksanovic to Kosovo, but on that day, former Minister of Justice Marko Kovac rejected the extradition request. The newspaper "Pobjeda" in Podgorica reported that Kovac explained his decision by stating that "there are suspicions of political persecution" and that Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms had been violated, with an assessment that this had been a "political moment".

Following the receipt of this decision on October 31, the Higher Court released Vuksanovic, who had spent a month in extradition custody.

RFE reminds that this is the second such decision by Kovac in the last seven days.

Previously, on October 26, he rejected the extradition of Momcilo Vukotic (61) to Kosovo on the same grounds. Vukotic is suspected of committing war crimes in the Peja region in 1999.

Kovac made these decisions in the last week of his term in the Government of Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic, whose mandate ended with the election of the Government of Milojko Spajic on October 31, 2023.

Vukotic was arrested in Montenegro on September 25 based on an Interpol warrant from the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), under a Memorandum of Understanding from 2002 aimed at exchanging information, orders, international investigations, and criminal cases.

The Higher Court in Bijelo Polje confirmed to RFE that Vukotic had also been released from custody.

An extradition decision to Kosovo in extradition custody, according to the decision of the Higher Court in Podgorica, is awaited by Kosovo citizen Ilir Berisha (48), who was arrested in Montenegro at the beginning of October.

Berisha was arrested based on an Interpol UNMIK warrant on suspicion of committing war crimes against the civilian population in Kosovo in 1999.

The Higher Court in Podgorica ordered his extradition detention, which, as stated, is limited until a decision on the suspect's extradition to Kosovo is made.