Musli Halimi concludes his testimony in the trial of Salih Mustafa: Two key statements

Salih Mustaf's defence witness at The Hague, Musli Halimi, has completed his testimony to Kosovo's Specialised Chambers, where he has said he had no contact with any members of the BIA unit during his stay in Zlath. Halimi has declared that he had stayed in the village of Zlath from January to April 1999 and that he was at the helm of the training center. He's said he's only been training the cadets, adding there's no contact with other soldiers.

On the second day of his testimony before the court in The Hague, the 11th defence witness has said entry into the training centre has been limited.

 “Not Only BIA but with no person or soldier except the kadet I had no contact at the training center. Neither with BIA, nor with any other soldier but the cadets I've had contact with the training center, only the Cadet, the instructors, access to the training center there was no one else, and it hasn't been forbidden for anyone to come there to manipulate or co-operate with the screws, that's been forbidden, training has been done with cads, that's all. Even if I hadn't allowed them, there was no one to come to the” training center, the witness said.

Halimi, who has spent about three months in the village of Zlatko in 1999, has said his task has been to train the cadets and that their list was sent by Brigade 153.

 The <x0ds that came to the training center, I didn't deal with their biography or their arrival, this is pre-preparation and the list has come true, so it wasn't my duty to deal with the data or the biography of anyone who is who it, but my duty was to train them and to stick to the list that came from Brigade 15318x1>, Halim said.

While answering the prosecution's questions, Halimi has said that for Salih Mustaf's arrest, the Special has been informed through the media.

Mustafa was arrested on September 24, 2020, with the claim of war crimes.

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, while in his appearance before the court he has been declared innocent.