Brighton grandfather jailed in Serbia on ‘flimsy’ evidence

The household of a British man held in a Serbian jail is interesting for extra help from the UK authorities, claiming that prices towards him are baseless and politically motivated.

Sadik Duraku, a 54-year-old father of three from Brighton, was arrested on April 17 2024 whereas travelling to go to relations in Kosovo.

He is presently being held in a Belgrade jail, accused of committing battle crimes as a member of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) within the Nineteen Nineties – allegations his household and authorized crew deny.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) stated: “We are supporting a British man detained in Serbia and are in touch with the native authorities.”

Mr Duraku was born in Kosovo – which on the time was a part of Yugoslavia.

In 1998, he and his household had been granted asylum within the United Kingdom whereas battle raged in his dwelling nation.

He turned a British citizen in 2002, and constructed a life operating a automobile washing enterprise earlier than retiring attributable to in poor health well being.

In April, Mr Duraku was arrested whereas crossing the Serbian-Hungarian border – a visit he had executed many occasions earlier than.

This time, he was detained by Serbian border police and charged with battle crimes allegedly carried out as a member of the KLA.

That similar day, over 1,000 others had been detained by Serbian authorities, however solely a small quantity had been ultimately charged.

The preliminary allegations towards Mr Duraku accused him of collaborating in battle crimes towards the native inhabitants in 1999.

His household is adamant these prices are unsubstantiated and say he was by no means concerned with the battle in any respect, was not a member of the KLA, and didn’t participate in any violence.

“We had been gobsmacked,” stated Zana Duraku, his daughter.

The household has collected in depth documentation as a way to show that he was within the United Kingdom and didn’t maintain the required paperwork required to go away the nation from December 1998 till he gained citizenship in 2002.

Mr Duraku’s UK-based lawyer, Michael Polak from Justice Abroad, stated all the case rests totally on a letter.

Purportedly from a Serbian particular person “purported to stay in Germany”, that letter is attributed to somebody who “would not look like an actual individual” stated Mr Polak.

He stated the letter doesn’t look like from an actual handle and incorporates calls to “torture” Mr Duraku till “the reality comes out of him”.

Mr Polak claims that “it is vitally uncommon to base a case for against the law as critical as battle crimes on this sort of doc”.

War crime instances often “have folders and folders and folders of proof about actions and actions,” he stated.

The lawyer alleges the letter has both “been concocted for these proceedings or doubtlessly put collectively by somebody with a grudge towards” Mr Duraku.

“This is a battle crimes accusation primarily based on this actually flimsy proof of this letter,” he added.

“This is somebody with well being issues, somebody who must be launched on bail to return to the United Kingdom.”

Mr Polak stated it was “troublesome to say” what the motivations within the case had been.

Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia stay excessive, regardless of the battle ending in 1999.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has repeatedly vowed that Serbia won’t ever recognise Kosovo as an impartial nation.

The authorities of Kosovo needs to claim authority over all of Kosovo, however ethnic Serbs dwelling within the northern area, bordering Serbia, are resisting this transfer, demanding larger autonomy.

The Serbian Public Prosecutor’s Office for War Crimes didn’t reply to the BBC’s request for remark.

In its National Strategy for War Crimes Prosecution, the Serbian authorities states that Serbia “successfully demonstrates satisfactory investigations of allegations and equal therapy of suspects” and that “environment friendly battle crimes trials” are an “inseparable a part of the rule of legislation and a characteristic of democratic societies”.

Stefan Jovanovic, from the Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development, a Belgrade-based think-tank, defended the Serbian dealing with of battle crimes instances saying the nation has “enormous expertise” of them and he anticipated Mr Duraku to get a good trial.

Under Serbian legislation, a defendant in Mr Duraku’s state of affairs could be held for six months whereas the prosecution builds their case and decides whether or not to proceed with a trial.

The household’s fears and considerations are additional exacerbated by Mr Duraku’s fragile well being.

He lately had a coronary heart assault and requires prescription medicine, which his household have delivered to him on jail visits to Belgrade.

Ms Duraku says that the stress of his detention is taking a extreme toll on him. “He’s getting so, so low and so scared,” she stated.

She added: “It’s tearing us aside as we’re all so devastated. There’s not a degree within the day the place you are not harassed about it.”

The household feels that the UK authorities has not executed sufficient to intervene.

“He’s British, and so we thought that our authorities would shield his rights and can be taking care of him, nevertheless it hasn’t, and we’re simply endlessly disillusioned at each flip,” stated Ms Duraku.

Additional reporting by Tamara Kovacevic.

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