Sadik Duraku, 53, was arrested crossing the Croatian border and accused of being a member of the Kosovan Liberation Army in 1999 and committing war crimes
Sadik Duraku has been detained in Serbia and accused of war crimes in the 1990s(change.org)
By
Antony Clements-Thrower14:27, 28 Apr 2024
The family of a British man detained in a “hellhole” jail in Serbia for war crimes dating back to 1999 have begged the Government to help with his release.
Sadik Duraku, 53, had been crossing the border from Croatia to see family last week when he was suddenly taken. He was dragged to the High Court where he was accused of being a member of the Kosovan Liberation Army and taking part in atrocities in the late 1990s.
His family has refuted the claims and say he was in Britain from 1998 and could not leave until 2004 because of rules relating to asylum. Now they have started a petition calling for his release which has been signed by nearly 1,000 people. Daughter Suzana Duraku wrote in a petition: “He is being held on false claims… that he committed War crimes…in 1999. An impossible feat as my father, along with me and my family, were seeking asylum in the UK in 1998.
Mr Duraku’s family have started a petition calling for his release(linkedin.com)
“The asylum process means we could not possibly leave the UK until 2004. One day after Kosovo took a step closer to becoming a member of the Council of Europe, Serbia detained hundreds of Kosovans and Albanians at the crossing of the Serbian border. One of those victims was my father, Sadik Duraku, a British Citizen living in Brighton. He is sick with a heart condition. He had a heart attack in 2021 and suffered a cardiac arrest. To this day, he suffers from this heart attack and has a leaky valve and high blood pressure. We worry the stress and conditions will aggravate his condition.
“At this critical juncture, Sadik and our family require tangible evidence to refute these baseless allegations and need support with securing an observer in Serbia to ensure fair procedures and his safety. Therefore, the documentation of our asylum applications and movements within the UK from 1998 to 1999 is vital. The British Home Office should have this information and, together with the British Embassy, should be able to arrange an observer.
“As of Friday, April 19th, he is being held for another 30 days before going to court; I fear what will happen after this.” One person responded to the petition to say: “I have been a friend of the Duraku family for 20 years and this is not only tearing a family apart, but also a deep injustice to someone who fled a war.”
Another added: “This man’s wife is a hard-working colleague of my daughter and is going through hell right now worrying about her husband.” A source told MailOnline: “It’s a very serious situation. It’s a hellhole custody centre.” The Foreign Office has been approached for comment.
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Source link : https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/british-man-53-held-hellhole-32688898.amp
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Publish date : 2024-04-28 03:00:00
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