Kosovo Six trial discusses Rugova’s role

The defense for the Kosovo Six says Rugova attended the meetings with Serbian officials in April 1999 "voluntarily".

Izvor: B92

Friday, 19.01.2007.

13:05

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Kosovo Six trial discusses Rugova’s role

As the cross-examination of Adnan Merovci, Rugova's personal assistant at that timeproceeded, the defense counsel for the six Serb officials indicted for crimes in Kosovo tried to prove that Ibrahim Rugova had attended the meetings with the Serb officials "of his own free will" and that he had made the press releases "voluntary", and had not been "coerced" as the witness claimed.

Merovci said that from March 31 until May 4, 1999, the army and the police held him, Rugova and Rugova's family under house arrest in Priština.

Rugova, the president of the Kosovo Democratic League (DSK) was taken from his home to meetings with Serbian officials. After the meetings, he made statements under duress. He did so only to protect himself and his family, Merovci claimed.

To refute Merovci's argument, Toma Fila, representing Nikola Šainović, noted that at that time the witness was "walking freely around Priština". When he went out it was hardly "voluntary", the witness noted, because he was under police escort at all times and that Rugova himself was denied any such "luxury", the witness replied.

The defense counsel for police general Sreten Lukić actually took this idea one step further, suggesting that the police escort was there to ensure the witness's safety in the same way as the police surrounded Rugova's house in order to protect him and his family. This argument was further supported by a story of an armed Albanian shot to death by the police on April 3, 1999 when he tried to enter Ibrahim Rugova's house.

The witness insisted Rugova had been kept under house arrest and had been allowed to leave only to attend the meetings with the Serb officials under police escort. He issued press releases only because his family was also under house arrest. As regards the man who attempted an attack on Rugova on 3 April, as the defense alleges, the witness said the man was Rugova's driver coming to help him and not to do him any harm.

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