Prosecutor's Office: Continued detention for Mustafa remains necessary

In its parliament, the SPS has said that continuing custody is the only way to manage the risks posed by the accused.

The ongoing detention of the accused remains necessary and proportional. Doubts based and risks listed in Article 4150) continue to exist. Despite the closure of the case against the accused, he could still hinder the procedure's performance, including possible appeals procedures, interfering with victims, witnesses and/or their families. The dangers of fleeing and committing further crimes are still present and remain high. At the same time, no new circumstances have intervened since the 12th pre-meditation review that would require revising the panel's previous findings concerning risk assessment”, it is said in the ZPS parade, which has been made public on the official site of Kosovo's Specialised Chambers.

For Mustafa, who is pending trial, the SPS has considered that it could prevent the procedure's performance, including possible appeals or intervention procedures in witnesses or their families.

“The SP claims the threat of escape is real, consistently high, and further increased with the conclusion of procedures and the upcoming decision. Already fully aware of the guilty evidence gathered against him, the accused, if released and sentenced, may try to hide to avoid punishment. This is especially valuable in view of intelligence expertise, contact and accused, and the existence of a support network that includes, among other things, Kosovo war veterans”, the letter said.

The trial against the former KLA member has ended in September this year, while the indictment is expected to be declared.

Salih Mustafa's defence has demanded that he be acquitted of all charges the prosecution has filed against him, while the latter has asked the court for Salih Mustaf to sentence him to 35 years in prison.

In this trial, 13 witnesses of the Specialised Prosecutor's Office have been heard, many of them protected and in closed or edited sessions.

And Salih Mustafa's defense has presented 15 witnesses.

Early in this process Salih Mustafa, who faces charges of alleged war crimes, was declared innocent before the court.

According to the Specialised Chambers “The confirmed indictment stipulates that approximately between April 1st 1999 and April 19, 1999, at a detention complex in Zlatko, Kosovo, arbitrary detention crimes, cruel treatment and torture against at least six persons” were committed. Also, in the indictment it is said that “in a date between April 19, 1999, or about this date, and about the end of April 1999, a banned “was killed at that location.

Salih Mustafa is staying in custody at The Hague from September 24th 2020, when he was arrested.