Haradinaj: Most special witnesses are Albanians

Invited to News 24, Haradinaj also talked about his feelings of how his closed day in The Hague has taken place pending trial. He also spoke about what is expected of the process and added that most witnesses are expected to be Albanians. He expelled himself as a witness.

What we know so far is what has been disclosed by the charges, but prosecutors can also preserve surprises until the last moment, how problematic is this for the accused?

It's a very well explained relationship with Kosovo, with the Special Chambers, even this relationship has not gone well. I think we've made some mistakes in Kosovo. The situation was with veterans' files, wrong is a public campaign to discredit this court, either minimise it by calling it political or against U n This is wrong. Why I say it's wrong, because maybe a climate when truth has to win, right has to come to light. I think we as Kosovo should explain to ourselves first. It is not a political court. Politics has created it, so our parliament has demanded it, at the request of world politicians, but judges for the court have been political, mandated duties, are not to blame on those judges for that mandate, nor are prosecutors. They are professionals, they work there on the basis of the contract, on the basis of their work, they get their salaries, they do their job. So you shouldn't attack the court that the court didn't create itself and it's nothing to blame if someone was to blame us for voting. The fault is in us, in Kosovo politics, we have voted that court, we have given them office. They are in some way only fulfilling their commitment from a contract with us and we must help this court find the right to the truth, which is the innocence of the accused. So I believe that if a correct climate of Kosovo's relations develops, with the court that we have created, we have to find the power, if the truth comes out. So, I don't think we have any reason, neither to be afraid, nor to worry that the truth has come true, which is the pure KLA war and the innocence of the accused. Prosecutors do their job under the law, have their own strategies. The good father is that they are not judges. From my experience in the Court, the parties that share justice are judges. They're professionals with integrity, prosecutors I'm convinced they do their job, but even the defense side does its job, then the court decides. I think we need as Kosovo to help this court find the truth, because the truth is us. Kosovo has been a victim. He didn't commit crimes against anyone. He fought himself, protected innocent civilians. You see there are mass graveyards in Serbia today, so what reason do we have to be afraid of the court if we are the party that has been in defense of defenseless civilians.

Can you describe us one day at The Hague, how are the feelings until the truth comes out? How do you view them?

That feeling is hard to explain that it is not the same every day. One day you may be in that feeling of loneliness, lost, forgotten, left to anyone who knows. On another day in the spotlight of attacks, shocks, injustices that occur, and that are unfair. There is a day of truth and truth but these processes require endurance so it's not a matter of one day. These are long, long processes, and mine has lasted eight years. My process had a huge financial cost, and at the time it was not an independent state, there was no state fund for protection, we had no law as now. By that time the people have supported us, our countrymen have supported us. My conviction is in service of every day and that day is the Czech day, the day of the verdict. So everyone must be stable in working for that day, for the success of that day.

The developments in the process were demanded that the trial begin in the summer of 2021. The prosecution organization spoke of a large number of witnesses. In your knowledge, who can Albanians be among them?

They report it as a first time, as they said in the middle or summer of 2021. I don't think it starts at that time. There will be other delays, and so has my practice. My judgment began sometime in 17 months after the ban, and it has been among the judgments that have come early. These are very long process. Witnesses are Albanians, mostly. There may be others. Not all are witnesses with charges, some have evidence of events, developments, but all matter there has value. Every aspect of the testimony is of its own value, takes real time. Processing all evidence gets the value and transcripts, previous evidence, and all are valued by a panel of judges, but as processes are very slow and very long.

Can you be one of the witnesses?

I don't qualify as a witness because I've held the legal position of silence. So even when I was accused myself, even in every situation I never spoke before a war law mission. So I used the legal right to silence.