08/16/2002 | Mark

Hundreds in Pristina arrests protest


Hundreds of people in Kosovo are taking part in a demonstration in the capital, Pristina, to protest against recent arrests by United Nations police of former members of the ethnic-Albanian guerrilla group, the KLA.

Riot police have been put on stand-by, and United Nations personnel have been ordered to stay away from the city centre.

Most of the former KLA men have been charged with crimes committed during the conflict with Serbian forces in the province.

There have been protests in Kosovo every day this week following the detention of a former senior KLA commander, Rustrem Mustafa. On Thursday, dozens of people were injured during clashes in the town of Decani when Spanish and Ukrainian UN police used tear gas and baton-charges to disperse crowds.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service