Accused of war crimes, ex-Kosovar rebel Pjetër Shala pleads not guilty
Former Kosovo rebel Pjëter Shala during his trial at the Special Court of Kosovo in The Hague, the Netherlands, February 21, 2023. © PIROSCHKA VAN DE WOUW / AP
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The Special Court for Kosovo opened on Tuesday morning the trial of Pjetër Shala, a former member of the military police of the UCK separatist army.
The latter is accused of war crimes, in particular for acts of torture perpetrated in May 1999, in Kukës, Albania.
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With our correspondent in The Hague,
Stéphanie Maupas
“
I don't accept anything, everything is fabricated
”.
This is how Pjetër Shala pleaded not guilty at the start of his trial.
The 59-year-old man, who was 31 at the material time, allegedly detained, beat and tortured 18 victims in an iron factory in Kukës, Albania.
One of them would have been killed.
Men perceived as collaborators and spies in the service of the Serbian forces of Slobodan Milosevic to whom the Albanian separatists were opposed.
According to the prosecution, these victims were simply civilians.
These facts are unjustifiable, according to prosecutor Alex Withing: “
The intentional abuse of detainees during armed conflict is a war crime, pure and simple, and cannot be justified under any circumstances.
There is no justification for the abuse, torture and murder of detainees.
The laws of war do not allow it, neither for this conflict nor for any conflict.
»
Pjetër Shala was just a simple soldier in the UCK hierarchy.
Undoubtedly the lowest ranking of the accused brought to The Hague.
Among them, there is in particular the ex-president Hashim Thaçi.
His trial is due to begin on April 3.
► To read also: Kosovo: the conviction for war crimes of Salih Mustafa badly received in his country
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