Pre-investigative procedure launched against army chief

Pre-investigative procedure launched against army chief

The Belgrade-based daily Danas writes that the case concerns war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the village of Rezala in Kosovo, and the hiding of the bodies of the victims.

The prosecution is now checking the allegations from the criminal charges, which the FHP filed in October, and "collecting the necessary data and information," said the newspaper.

The daily said it received confirmation from the prosecution that after the identification and exhumation of the victims from a mass grave in Rudnica, pre-investigative procedure was ongoing against unknown persons, after it was determined that it was a case of killing of Albanian civilians. The prosecution is now trying to identify the possible perpetrators of these killings. The prosecution, in cooperation with EULEX, has taken statements from more than 100 witnesses.

The village of Rezala is located about seven kilometers south of the town of Srbica. Based on evidence collected, the FHP determined that on April 5, 1999, members of the Yugoslav Army and the Interior Ministry expelled the residents of the village from their homes, and killed at least 41 Albanian civilians, among them 39 in a mass execution. According to the FHP, 27 bodies of victims killed in Rezela were found in the mass grave in Rudnica.

The evidence of the FHP indicates that the crime was committed by the military police forces under the command of the 37th Brigade of the Yugoslav Army, which was then commanded by the current Chief of Staff of the Army of Serbia Ljubisa Dikovic.

The NGO has twice publicly accused Dikovic for war crimes. The first time in their "Dossier Ljubisa Dikovic" from 2012, and early this year in the "Dossier Rudnica."

The War Crimes Prosecution in 2012 said they "found that that Dikovic was not registered as a participant in a war crime."

Also, the Ministry of Defense at the time stated that "the claims about the alleged possession of documents that indicate the responsibility of Chief of General Staff General Ljubisa Dikovic for crimes committed in the villages of Razala and Staro Citakovo are seen as a continuation of the obviously orchestrated campaign against the defense system."

In 2012, Dikovic filed a lawsuit against the FHP and its former executive director Natasa Kandic, citing violation of reputation and honor. The trial is in progress and the last hearing was closed to the public, which is why the representatives of the FHP also left. The next hearing is scheduled for November 24. Dikovic seeks a million dinars in compensation which he said he intends to give to charity.