Kosovo Serb placed in custody, another arrested at Jarinje

Serb Ivan Radivojevic from Kosovo Polje, who was arrested by the Kosovo police at the Jarinje crossing on suspicion of war crimes in Kosovo, has been placed in custody for one month, and another Serb has been arrested at the same crossing.

(kosovocompromisestuff) Sunday, July 28, 2013

Radivojevic, who was arrested on Friday, was placed in custody by a EULEX judge after being interviewed, Radio Kosovo has reported. Suspect's lawyer Zivojin Jokanovic says Radivojevic is suspected of a war crime in Kosovo Polje in March 1999, but he believes there is not enough support for the accusation. The proof that he did not commit the crime is the fact that he stayed in Kosovo Polje after the conflict ended in June 1999, and that once he left as a displaced person, he visited Kosovo more than 40 times, Jokanovic stated. Radivojevic current residence is in Blace, southern part of central Serbia. In reaction to Radivojevic's arrest, head of the Serbian government office for Kosovo Aleksandar Vulin said on Saturday Serbia was concerned over the possible existence of secret indictments for war crimes in Kosovo and lists it did not have access to. Serbia has not and will not obstruct investigations into war crimes, regardless of the nationality of the suspects and the victims, Vulin pointed out. "But being unaware of the indictments, the existence of secret indictments, is not something that can improve the situation in Kosovo. Not having clear indictments is definitely an obstacle on the path to justice," he remarked. Serbia wants the international community to reveal all the indictments and potential lists and say who it considers a suspect in war crimes. Vulin confirmed to The press that another Serb, Cedomir Markovic from Gracanica, had been arrested at Jarinje, and explained that Markovic was not accused of war crimes, but of inflicting serious injuries. Markovic was not arrested by EULEX, Vulin stated, adding that his arrest warrant had been issued by the Gracanica police department.