The Basic Court in Prishtina has ordered one month of pre-trial detention for Dejan Peleviq, who is suspected of war crimes in Skenderaj. According to the Prosecution, the suspect and other uniformed individuals, after receiving injections, set out to commit crimes in two directions, killing 15 Albanian civilians and forcibly disappearing 16 others.
On Thursday, in court, the crimes that the Prosecution believes he committed 27 years ago in the Municipality of Skenderaj were read out to Peleviq, including the killing of 15 Albanian civilians.
The former official of the Serbian MUP, who was arrested two days ago in the north, sat in the defendant’s bench as he is suspected of the criminal offense of “war crimes against the civilian population.”
Upon the request of the Prosecution, the Basic Court in Pristina ordered one month of detention, assessing that if released, there is a risk of escape.
According to the Prosecution’s request for detention, Peleviq and other members of Serbian forces set out to commit crimes from a police station, where they had previously received injections from individuals wearing white coats.
“A number of forces from these units, identified by white camouflage uniforms, moved to the police station and stood in formation in pairs for a short time, while three individuals dressed in white coats, resembling medical personnel, came down from the balcony of the Skenderaj police station and administered injections to members of the Serbian forces. After that, the forces split into two directions: one formation headed toward the houses opposite the station, while the other moved toward Neighborhood II of the town. In a coordinated manner, groups of 3–4 members entered each house, where severe violence was carried out, innocent civilians were killed, and terror was inflicted on the Albanian population. During this unlawful operation by Serbian forces, in the yards and homes of the neighborhood and in the area known as ‘the pines,’ in addition to expulsions, burning of homes and property, looting, and inhumane torture of residents, fifteen (15) Albanian civilians were killed and sixteen (16) other Albanian civilians were forcibly disappeared, unarmed and not involved in the war,” the Prosecution’s request states.
According to the Prosecution, in March 1999, the suspect Peleviq, as an official of the Serbian MUP, together with other police and military forces, launched an operation from the Ammunition Factory to loot and expel Albanian civilians.
“Numerous military and police forces were initially concentrated at the location of the Ammunition Factory in the village of Prekaz, and from there they spread out, moving in formations with military and police machinery. Military formations reinforced the city’s peripheral positions by placing additional machinery and personnel at entry and exit points and at several dominant locations, in order to prevent the movement of citizens in and out of the town of Skenderaj. Some formations from elite MUP units that operated directly in committing the crimes were dressed in white uniforms, masks, and black gloves,” the request states.
The claims of the Prosecution were rejected by the defense lawyer of the suspect, Predrag Milković, who stated that his client did not commit the criminal offense he is accused of.
Dejan Peleviq was arrested on Tuesday in the village of Soçanicë in Leposaviq reported by Koha, transmitted by Rks News.
