Ex-rebel denies war crimes as Kosovo tribunal starts first trial

Former KLA officer Salih Mustafa, accused of murder, torture and cruel treatment during the 1998-1999 Kosovo conflict, appears before a special tribunal set up to hear cases of war crimes allegedly committed by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), in The Hague, Netherlands, September 15, 2021. Robin van Lonkhuijsen/ANP/Pool via REUTERS

THE HAGUE (Reuters) -A special tribunal in The Hague investigating allegations of atrocities committed by Kosovo pro-independence fighters opened its first case on Wednesday, against a commander accused of torturing prisoners during the 1998-1999 conflict with Serbia.

At the start of his trial, Salih Mustafa, 50, pleaded not guilty to charges of war crimes, comparing the court to the Nazi secret police.