Kosovo’s prosecutor’s office announced the arrest of five Serbs suspected of involvement in the Reçak massacre. According to the authorities, the suspects are former members of Serbian special forces. They are accused of participating in the murder of 42 ethnic Albanians in January 1999.
The Reçak massacre is considered one of the worst war crimes of the Kosovo war. Troops surrounded the village, opened fire, and entered with armored vehicles. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) identified the victims as civilians, a claim Serbia still denies. Kosovo’s judiciary has already indicted 21 Serbs for the events, including former police chief Obrad Stevanović and intelligence chief Radomir Marković. Since the accused are beyond the reach of Kosovo’s authorities, a trial in absentia has been requested.
Serbia rejected the arrests. The Serbian Office for Kosovo called it “systematic political and institutional violence” and accused Pristina of pursuing a “chauvinistic and anti-Serbian policy.” The Reçak massacre was a turning point in the Kosovo war: NATO and the United Nations intervened, and Serbian troops withdrew. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, which Serbia does not recognize.
Source: www.zeit.de
