Kosovo Court Upholds Serb’s War Crimes Acquittal

The appeals court in Pristina has upheld the verdict that found Milorad Zajic not guilty of committing war crimes against the civilian population and violations of the Geneva Conventions.

Zajic was originally found not guilty in March this year of taking part in the killing of two people - one with disabilities - and of forcing ethnic Albanians out of a village in 1998 during the war in Kosovo.

The judge said the reason for the acquittal was the witnesses' "contradictory" testimonies.

The indictment had claimed that during June and July 1998, Zajic took an active role in organised attacks by Serbian forces on the ethnic Albanian-populated village of Dush, near Klina, around 60 kilometres west of Pristina.

But the court found that he had not participated in the attacks and was not part of a Serb paramilitary group.

The appeals court made its decision to uphold the acquittal on October 1 but it only became public on Monday.