Earlier, Specialised Chambers in The Hague have been convicted of Hysni Gucati and Nasim Haradinaj, for obstructing justice administration. / REL/
HRW: Trial against former KLA leaders highlights continuing need for justice
Periskopi
(3 years ago)
(3 years ago)The trial against former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, former Prime Ministers, Jakup Krasniqi and Kadri Veselini, as well as former Kosovo Liberation Army member General Staff Rexhep Selimi, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, highlights the continuing need for justice, 24 years after the war in Kosovo, the international rights organisation has said [...]
The trial against former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders begins 3 April at the Special Court.
This court is founded by the Assembly of Kosovo, but operates in The Hague of the Netherlands.
Thaci, Veselin, Krasniqi and Selimi are in custody at The Hague in November 2020.
The four have been acquitted of charges weighing on them.
This trial is against four people charged with committing terrible crimes, during and after the war, when the conflict is over, including against people from different ethnic groups”, said Hughes Williams, director for Europe and Central Asia in the Human Rights Watch organisation.
This “trial offers the possibility of victims learning what happened after so many years, and highlights the impunity that continues to exist for the conflict in Kosovo, but also for other wars in the former Yugoslavia”.
In Kosovo, some law court connoisseurs believe the trial against Thaci and others is unilateral, since the Special Court does not include crimes committed by Serbs on Kosovo's territory or in any other territory.
Specialised Chambers and Specialised Prosecutor's Office, also known as the Special Court, investigate the alleged crimes of members of the Kosovo Liberation Army committed against ethnic minorities and political rivals from January 1998 to December 2000.
These alleged crimes are mentioned in a 2011 Council of Europe report, author of which is Swiss senator Dick Marty.
The HRW response also mentioned the importance of witness protection, taking into account “witness intimidation in other cases against former KLA members”.
“Gjykata, as well, appears to have continued contact in Kosovo and Serbia to keep the public informed about the case and the principle of individual criminal responsibility”.
Currently, the special court is continuing trial against other former KLA member Peter Shala.
He is accused of running an improvised prison where several people were allegedly mistreated and one of them killed.
Shala herself has said the charges against him are fabricated.
In December of last year, the Special Court has declared its first war crimes sentence.
Former Kosovo Liberation Army Commander Salih Mustafa has been sentenced to 26 years in prison for unlawful murder, arbitrary detention and torture.
