The Supreme Court of Kosovo [official website] rejected an appeal on Thursday against the acquittal of 10 Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) members, including former commander and politician Fatmir Limaj, who were charged with war crimes in the so-called “Klecka case.” The former KLA members were accused [Balkan Insight report] of abusing Albanian and Serbian civilians and prisoners at the Klecka detention center during the conflict in Kosovo in 1999. In March 2012 five of the defendants were acquitted [Balkan Insight report]. Limaj and the remaining three members were cleared the following May. The Supreme Court of Kosovo accepted an appeal from the Special Prosecution’s (SPRK) and detained Limaj after ordering a re-trial. The following December Limaj was acquitted again. The rejection of this final appeal certifies the verdict.

In January a special court being was set up in The Hague to investigate and try alleged war crimes committed during 1998-99 [JURIST report]. In July 2015 11 Kosovo Albanian men were sentenced [JURIST report] to prison for war crimes. In February 2014 Serbia’s war crimes court convicted [JURIST report] nine former paramilitaries for their involvement in the genocide of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo in 1999. Two former Serbian secret service officials were arrested [JURIST report] under suspicion that they planned the 1999 killing of an anti-government journalist. In 2013 Amnesty International accused [JURIST report] the UN Mission in Kosovo of failing to adequately investigate war crimes committed during the conflict. Kosovo held its first local elections [JURIST report] in November 2013 since it seceded from Serbia in 2008. Serbia still does not recognize the secession.