Croatian General Rahim Ademi today pleaded not guilty at The Hague war crimes court to charges of murdering and persecuting Serb civilians almost eight years ago during Croatia's war with Yugoslavia.
The highest-ranking ethnic Albanian in the Croatian army, General Ademi is charged with crimes against humanity for an attack by Croatian forces in the so-called Medak Pocket in the Krajina region of Croatia held by rebel Serbs in early September 1993.
Dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and tie, General Ademi pleaded not guilty in his initial court appearance to the five counts against him, which include charges of murder, persecution, plunder and the destruction of towns and villages.
He said his health was good and that he had no complaints about conditions in the United Nations detention unit in The Hague, where he is being held alongside fellow war crimes suspect Slobodan Milosevic.
General Ademi, who voluntarily surrendered to the UN court in The Hague on Wednesday after flying to The Netherlands from Zagreb, has said that his conduct during the 1991-95 Croatian war of independence against Yugoslavia had been unblemished.