| Albanian terror suspects appear in Montenegro court |
| 15 May 2007 | 12:14
| Source:
BIRN |
PODGORICA --
The trial of 18 Albanians from Montenegro accused of preparing terror attacks started Monday in Podgorica.
Special Prosecutor for organized crime Stojanka Radoviæ has charged the group with associating in order to prepare acts of violence against the constitution and the state security.
The prosecutor said the accused men set up a criminal group in Malesija, a predominantly Albanian region near Podgorica, with the aim of launching an armed rebellion to create a separate region.
The rebellion was allegedly organized with help of groups from Kosovo and initiated and funded by members of the Albanian diaspora from Detroit, in the U.S., the prosecutor said.
The men were arrested on September 9, 2006, day before parliamentary elections, in a police action codenamed Eagle’s Flight. The police said it found weapons and explosive devices in caves around the small town of Tuzi, in the Malesija region.
Police and prosecutors declare they have enough evidence to prove their case. Lawyers for the Albanians dispute that.
Vaselj Sinistaj, an ethnic Albanian deputy in parliament who attended the first day of the trial, stressed the loyalty to the republic of most Albanians in Montenegro, who make up about 6 per cent of the population.
“We showed that during the referendum last year when we strongly supported Montenegro regaining its independence,” he told Balkan Insight.
“The police operation has caused a lack of trust among Albanians in Montenegro, especially because the men were beaten in prison,” Sinistaj claimed.
He suggested that Montenegrin President Filip Vujanoviæ should pardon the accused men on May 21, the first anniversary of Montenegrin independence.
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