Court rules Kosovar can be extradited
A Kosovar wanted for war crimes may be extradited to Serbia, the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona has ruled.
The man, a former member of the Kosovo Liberation Army, was detained last April at the request of Serbia which sent Switzerland a formal extradition request in March.
He is accused of committing war crimes against Serb civilians and Albanians in 1999, in Gnjilane, about 50 kilometres from the Kosovan capital, Pristina.
In a ruling published on Friday, the court said Belgrade’s extradition request fulfilled the necessary legal requirements for the man’s extradition.
The court rejected the contention that the extradition was politically motivated “on the grounds that there is no serious reason to consider that the prosecution by the Serbian authorities is motivated by a particular social group, his race, religion or nationality”.
The man can appeal the ruling to the Federal Court, Switzerland’s highest court.
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