Gnjilane Group defendants deny charges

Four ethnic Albanians accused of vicious murder and torture of Serb and other civilians in Kosovo in 1999 today rejected the charges against them. Ferat Hajdari, 32, Kember Sahiti, 33, Selimon Sadiku, 40 and Burim Fazliu, 29 – all members of the Gnjilane Group of the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) – told the judges at the Belgrade District Court's War Crimes Chamber that they did not take part in the crimes listed in the indictment against them, which covers the period between June and December 1999. Gnjilane Group defendants deny charges All but Fazliu decided not to make any statements during the trial. Fazliu denied that he was in Gnjilane, eastern Kosovo, at the time given in the indictment, and claims to have never set foot in the school boarding facility in the town that was the scene of the crimes. He also rejected witness testimonies presented to him by the chamber, which said that he, along with other defendants, kidnapped, tortured and raped civilians, forced a father to have sexual intercourse with his daughter, and that he personally murdered two persons. "This is absolutely untrue. I don't even know the people who are sitting here in the courtroom," said Fazliu, who was the last of a total of nine defendants to make his plea. During the past two weeks, five other captured Gnjilane Group memebrs – Agus Memisi, Faton Hajdari, Ahmet Hasani, Nazif Hasani and Samet Hajdari – also rejected all charges against them. According to the prosecution, their victims were Serbs, other non-Albanians, but also some ethnic Albanians. The indictment states that they viciously murdered at least 80 civilians, while at least 153 others were abused and tortured, and then set free. The indictment further states that the defendants broke the fingers of captured civilians using a square pipe, extracted their teeth and nails with pliers, stabbed their tongues with knives, drove lighters through holes made in the victims' skulls, strangled them with wires and bags, cut off their genitalia with machetes, cut their throats with knives and raped a large number of women. In order to cover up their crimes, the prosecution says, those accused butchered the bodies of their victims with axes and chainsaws, put them in bags, which were then thrown into dumpsters next to the boarding facility (Dom Internata). Some bodies were also thrown from windows of buildings, and into Lake Livocko. The nine Gnjilane Group members were arrested in several special Serbian police (MUP) raids in the south of the country last December. Eight others remain at large and will be tried in absentia.

Gnjilane Group defendants deny charges

All but Fazliu decided not to make any statements during the trial.

Fazliu denied that he was in Gnjilane, eastern Kosovo, at the time given in the indictment, and claims to have never set foot in the school boarding facility in the town that was the scene of the crimes.

He also rejected witness testimonies presented to him by the chamber, which said that he, along with other defendants, kidnapped, tortured and raped civilians, forced a father to have sexual intercourse with his daughter, and that he personally murdered two persons.

"This is absolutely untrue. I don't even know the people who are sitting here in the courtroom," said Fazliu, who was the last of a total of nine defendants to make his plea.

During the past two weeks, five other captured Gnjilane Group memebrs – Aguš Memiši, Faton Hajdari, Ahmet Hasani, Nazif Hasani and Samet Hajdari – also rejected all charges against them.

According to the prosecution, their victims were Serbs, other non-Albanians, but also some ethnic Albanians.

The indictment states that they viciously murdered at least 80 civilians, while at least 153 others were abused and tortured, and then set free.

The indictment further states that the defendants broke the fingers of captured civilians using a square pipe, extracted their teeth and nails with pliers, stabbed their tongues with knives, drove lighters through holes made in the victims' skulls, strangled them with wires and bags, cut off their genitalia with machetes, cut their throats with knives and raped a large number of women.

In order to cover up their crimes, the prosecution says, those accused butchered the bodies of their victims with axes and chainsaws, put them in bags, which were then thrown into dumpsters next to the boarding facility (Dom Internata).

Some bodies were also thrown from windows of buildings, and into Lake Livočko.

The nine Gnjilane Group members were arrested in several special Serbian police (MUP) raids in the south of the country last December. Eight others remain at large and will be tried in absentia.