Prosecutors today in The Hague at the trial of four former KLA leaders continued to prove that the KLA in 1998-99. subjected to violence the Albanians whom it declared to be "collaborators", according to the testimony of a protected witness who testified that the KLA detained and mistreated him.
Wartime members of the KLA Main Staff Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veselji, Redžep Seljimi and Jakup Krasnići were accused of war crimes in Kosovo and Albania.
In order to protect his identity, the witness gave his testimony in a closed session, after taking an oath in the Albanian language that he would tell the truth.
In earlier statements, the summary of which was read by prosecutors in the courtroom, witness 4571 described how masked members of the KLA took him to the headquarters in the vicinity of Prizren in August 1998.
Under the pretext that he "must provide assistance to the KLA", the witness was interrogated by the soldiers, beaten and forced to sign an alleged "confession".
Witness 4571 also said that he saw "traces of severe mistreatment" on other detainees held by the KLA together with him.
As the prosecutor said in the courtroom, the witness still feels the consequences of abuse at the hands of the KLA.
Witness 4571, in the continuation of the trial, is cross-examined by the defendants' defense attorneys.
According to the indictment, in 1998-99, the KLA targeted all those whom the leadership of the Albanian paramilitary declared as opponents - Albanians designated as collaborators of the Serbian authorities, Serbs and Roma.
Tači, Veselji, Seljimi and Kransići were accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in more than 40 KLA detention centers in Kosovo and Albania between 1998-99. years.
The indictment charges them with 10 counts of: persecution on political and ethnic grounds, imprisonment, illegal arrest and detention, other inhumane acts, cruel treatment, enforced disappearance, two counts of torture and two counts of murder.
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