"No irregularities in Gnjilane Group probe"

Republic Ombudsman Sasa Jankovic has opened proceedings to ascertain whether Gnjilane Group members were subjected to torture during and after their arrest. Jankovic told daily Danas that a doctor’s examination had found that members of the group, suspected of over 50 murders and kidnappings, had not suffered serious injuries. "No irregularities in Gnjilane Group probe" “We established that in prison there was neither any grounds or reason for bringing proceedings against the Justice Ministry. We’re currently checking whether Serbian MUP (Interior Ministry) members used unreasonable force against the detainees,” he said. According to Jankovic, conversations were held with all Gnjilane Group members, and written statements are expected from all police officers who participated in the operation. “The detainees have light bodily injuries, including cuts and bruises on their hands and on parts of their bodies. That is established in the medical documentation. In proceedings up to now we’ve ascertained that they did not have serious bodily injuries and that some detainees showed light injuries,” he said. Serbian police officers arrested 10 former KLA members on Dec. 26, suspected of kidnapping 159 Serbian citizens and killing at least 51 people in the Gnjilane area from June to October 1999. The District Court War Crimes Chamber in Belgrade opened an investigation against nine suspects, whose custody period was recently extended by another two months.

"No irregularities in Gnjilane Group probe"

“We established that in prison there was neither any grounds or reason for bringing proceedings against the Justice Ministry. We’re currently checking whether Serbian MUP (Interior Ministry) members used unreasonable force against the detainees,” he said.

According to Janković, conversations were held with all Gnjilane Group members, and written statements are expected from all police officers who participated in the operation.

“The detainees have light bodily injuries, including cuts and bruises on their hands and on parts of their bodies. That is established in the medical documentation. In proceedings up to now we’ve ascertained that they did not have serious bodily injuries and that some detainees showed light injuries,” he said.

Serbian police officers arrested 10 former KLA members on Dec. 26, suspected of kidnapping 159 Serbian citizens and killing at least 51 people in the Gnjilane area from June to October 1999.

The District Court War Crimes Chamber in Belgrade opened an investigation against nine suspects, whose custody period was recently extended by another two months.