Former Kosovo separatist leader appears in court

A former commander of separatist fighters in Kosovo's 1998-1999 war appeared at a special court in the Netherlands on Monday to face charges that he was involved in the torture of detainees and the murder of one prisoner held at a compound in Kosovo during the conflict.

Salih Mustafa was arrested last Thursday and transferred to the Netherlands to stand trial.

He is the first suspect to appear in court at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers.

He sat in the courtroom wearing a suit and tie and a face mask, which he removed as he stood and confirmed his name and other personal details, identifying himself as an economist and advisor to the Kosovo Defense Ministry.

He listened in silence as a court officer read out the four charges against him and Presiding Judge Nicolas Guillou read him his rights.

Mustafa did not enter pleas to the charges during the 35-minute hearing. He has 30 days to enter pleas.

The Kosovo Liberation Army was made up of ethnic Albanian rebels who fought for Kosovo's independence from Serbia.

Mustafa oversaw fighters in the Llapi area, 35 kilometers (20 miles) north of the capital, Pristina.

Mustafa is charged with the war crimes of arbitrary detention, cruel treatment, the torture of at least six people and the murder of one person at a detention compound in Zllash, Kosovo, in April 1999.

The court and an associated Special Prosecutor's Office was set up five years ago to investigate and prosecute allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Kosovo, or linked to the Kosovo conflict, from 1998-2000.

The 1998-1999 war for Kosovo's independence from Serbia left more than 10,000 people dead — most of them ethnic Albanians from Kosovo.