SERBIA: Mass grave with an estimated 250 bodies discovered

Record ID: 861256

  • Title: SERBIA: Mass grave with an estimated 250 bodies discovered
  • Date: 11th May 2010
  • Summary: BELGRADE, SERBIA (MAY 10, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF EXTERIOR OF SPECIAL COURT BUILDING CHIEF WAR CRIMES PROSECUTOR, VLADIMIR VUKCEVIC (LEFT) AND SPOKESMAN OF WAR CRIMES PROSECUTOR, BRUNO VEKARIC(RIGHT), ENTERING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Serbian) CHIEF WAR CRIME PROSECUTOR, VLADIMIR VUKCEVIC, SAYING "War crime prosecutor office together with Eulex, is on the trail, and has discovered mass grave, according to our assessment, with 250 bodies. So, to our knowledge, witnesses statements, that are almost identical, this mass grave is near Raska, where, a couple of years ago, we were looking for a mass grave but did not find it." JOURNALIST TAKING NOTES (SOUNDBITE) (Serbian) CHIEF WAR CRIME PROSECUTOR, VLADIMIR VUKCEVIC, SAYING "I want to emphasize, that this is our obligation towards the victims, to their families, those families want and they have right to pay respect to their beloved." VUKCEVIC AND VEKARIC LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 26th May 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Serbia
  • City:
  • Country: Serbia
  • Topics: War / Fighting
  • Reuters ID: LVA6JFUJ908U1OGJPZNPQVO4DWYU
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Serbia has discovered a mass grave with an estimated 250 bodies of ethnic Albanians believed to have been killed during the 1998-99 conflict in Kosovo, a Chief war crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic said on Monday (May 10).
    The grave was found in Serbia's south region of Raska with the help of the European Union's law and order mission in Kosovo, EULEX.
    "The war crime prosecutor's office together with Eulex, most probably, discovered the mass grave, and according to our assessment, with 250 bodies. So, according to our knowledge, witnesses statements, who are almost identical, this mass grave is near Raska, where a couple of years ago we were looking for a mass grave but did not find." Vladimir Vukcevic, Serbian chief war crimes prosecutor said at news conference.
    This is the 6th mass grave with bodies of Kosovo Albanians discovered since 2000.
    "I want to emphasise, that this is our obligation towards the victims, to their families, those families want and they have right to pay respect to their beloved," Vladimir Vukcevic added.
    NATO fought an air war in 1999 to force Serbian forces out of Kosovo and end ethnic cleansing against the ethnic Albanian majority waging a guerrilla struggle for independence from Belgrade.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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