Rexhep Selimi counters KLA communique in Limaj trial

Former KLA member General Staff Rexhep Selimi, during his testimony in the trial of Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Fatmir Limaj, who is being charged with war crimes, said the communique taking responsibility for the murder of two civilians, Ramiz Hodza and Selman Binish, has tarnished families and the KLA.

Rexhep Selimi contested the communique, which on behalf of the Military Police Directorate claimed responsibility for killing two civilians on October 2, 1998.

He said this communique contains a lot of inaccuracies.

Most importantly, he said, there was no Military Police Directorate at the time.

Selimi also said this communiqué is not alone.

“This communiqué does not object because it contains essential incorrectness. The first is that the date the communique was published did not exist by the Military Police Directorate, the second inaccuracy is the number four (4) of the communique. I don't know what the communique number three (3) or five (5) was. Also the other inaccuracy is the content of text”, the former member of the KLA General Staff stressed.

Furthermore, Rexhep Selimi, invited to the quality of the witness by the Kosovo Special Prosecutor, said he does not know who wrote this communique. But I am the one who exposed this communiqué in the name of KLA”, said one of the main KLA commanders.

“Secret Police Service Director, written in the communiqué, I say there was neither the Director of Service nor the Secret Police, so this is another inaccuracies that expose this communique”, he added.

According to Rexhep Selimi, this is not the only communique to be rejected. I can get you two more communiqués that have incorrectness. Even in earlier years of KLA organisation, there have been communiqués that the General Staff has exposed itself. I mean, this is not the first communiqué with inaccuracies”, he added.

Regarding the victims, Ramiz Hoxha and Selman Binishi, witness Selimi said they did not consider and were not as described in the communiqué. This is what I say from the current position because I did not know” before, he added.

“in these isolated cases, we have stained the two sides, as family members and we as members of the KLA [“, Selimi stressed.