EU-backed court convicts former Kosovo Liberation Army fighter of murder and abuse during 1999 war

Judges at a European Union-backed court have convicted a former Kosovo Liberation Army fighter with involvement in the murder of one person and the illegal detention and torture of nearly 20 more during his country’s war for independence from Serbia in 1999. Pjetër Shala, also known by the nickname “Wolf,” was found guilty Tuesday of three war crimes – murder, torture and arbitrary detention -- by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers. He was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment. The court is part of the Kosovo legal system but based in the Netherlands.