Appeals Court Overturns KLA Ruling

A Belgrade appeals court has overturned a ruling that sentenced nine former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army to prison for the 1999 murder of civilians.

The initial verdict was quashed due to ‘serious violations of the criminal proceedings’ and the men will now face a retrial.

Three of the men, Fazlija Ajdari, Redzep Alija, Sacir Saciri, are still on the run, so they were tried in absentia on charges of ordering the killing of Serbs, Roma and ethnic Albanians. Thirty-five civilians have been recorded as missing and according to the indictment, another 153 civilians were detained, tortured and then released.

Four suspects, Agus Memisi, Faton Hajdari, Samet Hajdar, Sadik Selimon, have been ordered to remain in custody. Other suspects were releaseed from custody at the end of 2010 but remain forbidden from leaving their place of residenc