What awaits Ramush Haradinaj after the Special's invitation

From the organisation of war veterans in Kosovo have said earlier about Radio Free Europe that, so far, 40 people have been called into the interviews in various capacities.

Before Kosovo's Special Prosecutor for Kosovo (known as the Special Court for War Crimes in Kosovo) next week, Ramush Haradinaj is expected to appear.

Haradinaj himself delivered the news at the government meeting on 19 July, when he even resigned from the position of Kosovo prime minister. He said he should go to The Hague as a simple citizen, not as prime minister.

Haradinaj said Kosovo's future leadership should be chosen by the people and that, after returning from The Hague, it will engage within its party, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, and will be prepared for new elections.

The specialised prosecution at The Hague has not published information on the case, as it has in the past.

Process before Haradinaj

Kosovo's Law on Specialised Prosecutors authorises prosecutors to investigate potential suspects and collect evidence.

During the interrogation, the suspect will not be forced to plead guilty, the law says. The suspects' rights, reported before questioning, include the right to be informed that there is reason to suspect that he has committed a criminal offence, the right to be quietly protected, which, however, is not considered during determining guilt or innocence.

The suspect is also warned that any written statements can be used as evidence. The suspect has the right to assist the defence attorney under his choice.

Once proven there is reasonable doubt that a person is responsible for a criminal offence within the jurisdiction of Specialised Chambers, the prosecutor prepares the indictment and hands it over with accompanying materials to the Specialised Chambers.

Court for Two Years of War

This court has competencies on criminal acts committed in Kosovo from January 1st 1998 to December 31st, 2000.

Otherwise, the Law, in accordance with the Constitution of Kosovo, envisions no one being tried before another court in Kosovo for acts that have been tried before any court, or before the International Court for Serious Crimes.

The Special Court is responsible for investigating crimes against humanity, war crimes and other crimes related to claims by a 2011 Council of Europe report.

The report said that crimes were committed by members of the Kosovo Liberation Army in 1998-2000.

This institution, established after Kosovo's Assembly has adopted the necessary legislation, has become fully operational in July 2017, when regulation of the procedure and evidence for implementation of the criminal procedure has been adopted. Some 150 people from different parts of the world work in the prosecutorial offices. Judges, 20, of course, come from 14 countries.

Prosecutor Jack Smith currently works in the investigation of alleged crimes.

The first prosecutor of the investigation team, Clint Williams, after the investigation in 2014, had said there was evidence that is enough to establish the charges.

Following the court's formation, the investigation of alleged crimes has continued David Schwendiman, also American, but he, in March 2018, has left the post after the mandate of American diplomatic service expired. Jack Smith is here instead.

To establish the indictment, the specialised prosecutor must ensure that “exists a well-founded suspicion that the suspect committed or participated in conducting a criminal offence within the jurisdiction of the Special Chambers”, in accordance with the procedure regulation.

KLA veterans protest

In Kosovo, because of disappointment with the formation of this court, KLA veterans have also held protests, while a petition with over 15 thousand signatures has prompted some MPs to try to abolish the court in the Kosovo Assembly. But, this initiative, following the international community's harsh response, has failed.

This is the second time Haradinaj resigned from the prime minister's position, in which he was elected in September 2017, with the support of the Kosovo Serb party é Serb List.

Haradinaj has resigned for the same reasons in 2005. At that world, he has voluntarily surrendered to The Hague Tribunal, where he is accused of war crimes.

Seven years later, in 2012, he has been acquitted of all charges. This has been a repeat trial, since the same court, in 2008, has acquitted him of charges of violations of war laws.