Kosova Student Leader Gets 15 Years By Katarina Kratovac Associated Press Writer Monday, March 13, 2000; 1:34 p.m. EST BELGRADE, Yugoslavia -- A former spokesman for Kosova's disbanded rebel organization was sentenced Monday to 15 years in prison after being convicted on charges of terrorism and conspiracy against the state, a law center said. After a weeklong trial, a district court in Nis, Serbia's third-largest city, found Albin Kurti guilty of "attempting to secede a part of Serbia," the independent Humanitarian Law Center in Belgrade said. Kurti, who had faced a maximum 20 years' imprisonment, was among thousands arrested by Serb police during NATO's 78-day bombing campaign last spring. He was jailed in Serbia after Serb forces withdrew and NATO deployed troops in Kosova. The 26-year-old [Kurti turns 25 on March 24] electronics and engineering graduate of the outlawed ethnic Albanian university of Pristina, the provincial capital, had waived the right to an attorney, but was appointed one by the state. Throughout the trial, Kurti refused to recognize the Serb court or his appointed defense. Deputy prosecutor Aleksandar Obradovic maintained that, as a prominent student leader, Kurti organized several "separatist" rallies and later, as the spokesman for the Kosova Liberation Army, held news conferences to expand on the guerrilla group's goals. Kurti organized first-aid courses and blood donations for the rebels, Obradovic said. Kurti acknowledged his role as leader in the independent Albanian student union in 1997-98, saying he struggled for a "free university." His court-appointed attorney, Branislav Ciric, recommended Monday that the court drop all charges since the prosecution had "failed to prove any premeditation to commit a crime." He said later he would appeal. Serbia is the dominant republic in the two-state Yugoslav federation, and Kosova is an Albanian-majority province in southern Serbia. It is now run by the United Nations and the NATO-led peacekeeping troops.