Five Serbs suspected of participating in alleged war crime in Racak remanded in custody for up to 30 days

The Basic Court in Pristina has ordered up to 30 days of detention for five Serbs suspected of having committed a war crime in the village of Racak in March 1999 as members of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The court made the decision to order detention at the request of the Kosovo Special Prosecution Office, which suspects NP, SJ, BP, SM and SS of "war crimes against the civilian population."

In the reasoning for the decision, the court assessed that there was a real risk of the defendants fleeing if they were released.

"All defendants are citizens of Serbia, which increases the possibility of their escape and makes it difficult to ensure their presence in the criminal proceedings," the Basic Court in Pristina announced.

The lawyer for the first defendant, Novica Pečinoćević, Nebojša Vlajić, told the Kosovo Online portal that the session at which the decision on detention was made was held yesterday, and that the suspects' representatives received the court's decision late last night.

The arrest of the Serbs was carried out on the orders of the Kosovo Special Prosecution Office in a case known as "Račak II".

"During the operation, search warrants were executed at several locations," the prosecutor's office previously announced.