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Four paramilitaries arrested over Kosovo crimes
By RTK
Published: October 20, 2007
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SREMSKA MITROVICA -- Four former members of the Scorpions paramilitary group have been arrested in Sremska Mitrovica today.
The arrest was confirmed for the Tanjug news agency by the Interior Ministry (MUP).
War Crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukèeviæ has announed that the four arrested men - Željko “Brko” Ðukiæ, Dragan “Guljo”Mediæ, Dragan Borojeviæ and Miodrag “Zvicko” Šolaja - have been under investigation for the deaths of 14 Albanian civilians, mainly children, in Podujevo in 1999.
Saša Cvjetan has already been sentenced to 20 years for the crime.
All the men were members of the Interior Ministry’s Scorpions paramilitary unit at the time of the crime.
Vukèeviæ said that the case was now closed, and that there would be no further arrests.
Dejan Demiroviæ, who was originally accused together with Cvjetan of the same crime, was released in April last year following an investigation by the War Crimes Prosecution.
According to a ruling by the Belgrade District Court, presided over by Biljana Sinanoviæ, on March 28, 1999 in the Gashi family’s garden in Rahman Morina Street in Podujevo, Cvjetan shot dead Shpetim (10), Shepnd (13), Nora (15), Salida (39), Shefkate 43, and Shehide Bogujevci (69).
Albion (2), Mimoza (4), Arber (7), Fitneta (36), Isma (69) and Dafina Durici (69), together with Fezdria and Nefisa Lugaliu were also killed in the attack.
At last year's trial of six Serb officials at the Hague Tribunal for crimes in Kosovo, former Scorpion member Goran Stopariæ testified that the unit had, in spring 1999 as a unit of the Interior Ministry, killed Albanian civilians, specifying that there had been 19 victims.
As a prosecution witness, Stopariæ testified that Cvjetan and three other Scorpions had entered the garden in Podujevo on March 28, immediately upon the unit’s arrival in Kosovo, that he had heard gunshots and that later, the corpses of 19 victims had been found, of whom 12 were children under the age of 14.
The witness said he had been “surprised” that half the Scorpions were made up of volunteers lacking any fighting experience or training, and that he had had to train them in the art of street fighting.
According to Stopariæ, after the killings, the Scorpions had immediately been sent back to Serbia, where they were given a 10 day break, though they – Cvjetin apart - returned to the province in mid-April, together with three new recruits.
“The charges against one of them were later dropped, while someone obstructed the process against the other two, probably Mediæ,” said the witness.
He said that he had lied at Cvjetan’s first trial in Prokuplje in 2002, at Mediæ’s request. He added that he had felt bad afterwards, knowing that “so many children had been killed. However, my neck was at stake.”
Stopariæ said that he had told the truth at Cvjetan’s re-trial in Belgrade in December 2003, despite Mediæ’s attempts to bribe and frighten him.
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Dani
Vetëm përpara djema... this is
a true about balkan killers
Rian
Just dont give UP, trooth is
in your side
Dragan
God site, hello from Belgrad
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