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Ethnic Albanians arrested for war crimes

16 November 2012 01:15 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Three ethnic Albanians were arrested on Thursday on suspicion of war crimes against the public during the 1998-99 conflict, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

They were arrested in Skenderaj municipality by special units of the European Union police and justice mission in Kosovo (EULEX) and local police.

"The detainees are suspected to have committed war crimes against the civilian population," EULEX spokesperson Bardha Azari told media.

Of the three men, two are members of the Kosovo Security Force, constituted by members of the former Kosovo Liberation Army guerilla force.

A spokesperson for the Kosovo Security Force said the suspects expressed "regret on their arrest, but aware that the law is above all."

Kosovo Liberation Army veterans, meanwhile, condemned the arrests and accused EULEX of unfair treatment. An investigation is being conducted by Kosovo Special Prosecution.

Serbia regards Kosovo, where more than 90 percent of the 2 million population are ethnic Albanians, as an integral part of Serbia, despite it has been recognized by the U.S. and some leading EU countries.