Trial opens for former Kosovo fighter accused of war crimes

By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The trial has opened of a former fighter with the Kosovo Liberation Army. Prosecutors said Tuesday that Pjetёr Shala was responsible for the murder of one person and the illegal detention and torture of nearly 20 others during his country’s war for independence from Serbia. The defendant insists he is innocent and has pleaded not guilty to four charges at the European Union-backed Kosovo Specialist Chambers. The court is part of the Kosovo legal system but based in the Netherlands. The court is scheduled to begin the trial of Kosovo ex-President Hashim Thaci later this year on charges including murder for his alleged role in atrocities as a guerrilla leader during the 1998-99 war. He denies all charges.