Grandfather from Brighton jailed in Serbia on ‘flamboyant’ evidence

The family of a British man held in a Serbian prison is asking the British government for more support, saying the allegations against him are unfounded and politically motivated.

Sadik Duraku, a 54-year-old father of three from Brighton, was arrested on April 17, 2024 while visiting relatives in Kosovo.

He is currently being held in a Belgrade prison on charges of committing war crimes as a member of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in the 1990s – charges which his family and legal team deny.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said: “We are supporting a British national detained in Serbia and are in contact with local authorities.”

Mr Duraku was born in Kosovo, which was then part of Yugoslavia.

In 1998, he and his family were granted asylum in the United Kingdom while war raged in his home country.

In 2002, he became a British citizen and earned his living running a car wash before being forced to retire for health reasons.

In April, Mr Duraku was arrested while crossing the Serbian-Hungarian border – a journey he had made many times before.

This time he was arrested by Serbian border police and charged with war crimes allegedly committed as a member of the KLA.

On the same day, Serbian authorities arrested more than 1,000 more people, but only a few of them were ultimately charged.

The first allegations against Mr Duraku were that he was involved in war crimes against the local population in 1999.

His family firmly believes that these allegations are unfounded. They say that he was never involved in the war, was not a member of the KLA and did not take part in any acts of violence.

“We were speechless,” said his daughter Zana Duraku.

The family has compiled extensive documentation to prove that he was in the United Kingdom from December 1998 until he obtained British citizenship in 2002 and did not have the necessary papers to leave the country.

Michael Polak, Mr Duraku's UK-based lawyer from Justice Abroad, said the entire case was largely based on one letter.

The letter allegedly comes from a Serb “who is said to live in Germany” and is attributed to a person “who is apparently not a real person,” said Polak.

He said the letter did not appear to come from a real address and contained calls to “torture” Mr Duraku until “the truth comes out of him”.

Mr Polak claims that it is “very unusual to base a case of such a serious crime as war crimes on this type of document”.

In war crimes cases, there are usually “folders upon folders full of evidence about movements and actions,” he said.

The lawyer claims the letter was either “fabricated for these proceedings or possibly written by someone who harbors a grudge against” Mr Duraku.

“This is a war crimes charge based on the really flimsy evidence of this letter,” he added.

“This is someone with health issues, someone who should be released on bail to return to the UK.”

Mr Polak said it was “difficult to say” what the motives were in this case.

Although the war ended in 1999, tensions between Kosovo and Serbia remain high.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has repeatedly stated that Serbia will never recognize Kosovo as an independent state.

The government of Kosovo wants to extend its rule over all of Kosovo, but ethnic Serbs living in the northern region bordering Serbia oppose this plan and demand more autonomy.

The Serbian war crimes prosecutor did not respond to the BBC's request for comment.

In its National Strategy for the Prosecution of War Crimes, the Serbian government states that Serbia has demonstrated “effective, adequate investigation of allegations and equal treatment of suspects” and that “efficient trials of war crimes” are an “integral part of the rule of law and a feature of democratic societies”.

Stefan Jovanovic of the Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development, a Belgrade-based think tank, defended Serbia's handling of war crimes cases, saying the country has “huge experience” in this area and he expects Mr Duraku to receive a fair trial.

Under Serbian law, a defendant in Mr Duraku's situation can be detained for six months while the prosecution builds its case and decides whether to go to trial.

The family’s fears and worries are compounded by Mr Duraku’s fragile health.

He recently had a heart attack and requires prescription medication that his family brought him during prison visits in Belgrade.

Ms Duraku said the stress of his detention was taking a heavy toll on him. “He is so, so depressed and so scared,” she said.

She added: “It's tearing us apart, we're all so devastated. Not a day goes by that you're not stressed about it.”

The family believes the British government has not done enough to intervene.

“He is British and so we thought our government would protect his rights and look after him, but it has not and we are being hugely disappointed at every turn,” Ms Duraku said.

Additional reporting by Tamara Kovacevic.

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