Serbia sentences 11 Albanians for war crimes

A Serbian court sentenced 11 ethnic Albanians to a total of 116 years in prison on Wednesday, after finding them guilty of committing war crimes.

The men were found guilty of illegally detaining and torturing at least 147 people, according to the verdict, during the war in Kosovo. Of the 17 charged with the offences, 6 were acquitted.

Prosecutors said that the Albanian men were part of the Kosovo Liberation Army’s 138th brigade, dubbed the "Gnjilane Group".

Ethnic Albanians make up over 90% of Kosovo, which split off from Serbia in 2008. The country was granted “full sovereignty” by the International Steering Group (ISG) earlier this month, but Serbia has refused to recognise the nation.

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