Special Session: Peter Shala today listens to witnesses of the Prosecutor

Shala, known as “Ujku” by the Special, is charged with arbitrary ban, cruel treatment, torture and murder. According to the prosecution, 18 people were detained, questioned and mistreated approximately between 17 May 1999 and 5 June 1999 at a metal factory in the town of Kukes, used by the KLA as a detention centre.

The indictment also claims that people who were banned in this area were subjected daily to beatings with various means such as metal rods, weapons, sticks, and knives.

The detainees were people allegedly co-operating with Yugoslavia and Serbia, or for “KLA support”, the indictment said. They were mostly Kosovo Albanians, but some were Roma.

“The victims of this case were targeted because of their perceived proximity to Serbs. They were treated as spies and fellow workers deserving of punishment and humiliation. They were detained without any legal process”, specialised prosecutor Alex Whiting said in court.

The Act against Shala was confirmed on June 12, 2020. He was arrested on 16 March 2021 in Belgium and transferred to the detention facility of Kosovo's Specialised Chambers on 15 April 2021.

More than two years have passed since KLA leaders are held in custody, while the trial review has yet to begin.

On August 3rd 2015 after a marathon session, the Special Court's founding in the Kosovo Assembly voted 82 MPs, 5 opposed and a abstained. The Specialised Prosecutor's Office and Specialised Chambers received support from the European Union, the United States of America and other contributing countries like Canada, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey.