Kosovo Court Urged to Convict Serb of War Crimes

In closing arguments on Thursday in the trial of former Serb fighter Zoran Djokic at Pristina Basic Court, the prosecution called for the defendant to be found guilty of war crimes against Kosovo Albanian civilians in the town of Peja/Pec and jailed.

"After taking into account all the circumstances and the consequences that his actions have had, and taking into account the fact that Zoran has expressed remorse for the acts he committed, and never apologised to the injured party before this court, I propose that he be found guilty according to the law," said prosecutor Habibe Salihu.

The prosecution alleges that in March and April 1999, Djokic was part of an organised group that wore military, paramilitary and police uniforms and forcibly entered the homes of Kosovo Albanians in the Kristal neighbourhood of Peja/Pec, physically and mentally abused them, robbed them and then forced them out of their houses. Some of the victims were killed.

Lawyer Kujtim Kerveshi, who is representing the victims at the trial, claimed that Djokic was lying when he said that he was in the Serbian capital Belgrade at the time of one of the incidents.

"His alibi is a lie. This was confirmed above all by two of his work colleagues," said Kerveshi.

But defence lawyer Ljubomir Pantovic, in his closing statement to the court, argued that the indictment was "not based on credible evidence".

Pantovic said that the charges "cannot be the basis for a guilty verdict", and called for Djokic to be acquitted.