8 hours agoKosovo government criticised for neglect of former KLA members arrested by Serbia
Periskopi(a year ago)
(a year ago)The Kosovo government has not had the right approach to the arrests of former Kosovo Liberation Army members (UÇK) from Serbia, they estimate connoisseurs of justice issues, as well as representatives of human rights organisations. They stress the need to create a state fund to cover defence expenses, as well as [...]
The Kosovo government has not had the right approach to the arrests of former Kosovo Liberation Army members (UÇK) from Serbia, they estimate connoisseurs of justice issues, as well as representatives of human rights organisations.
They stress the need to establish a state fund to cover defence spending, as well as demand that the issue of arrests of Albanians from Serbia be seriously addressed in international negotiations and ensure that their rights are respected in line with international standards.
Lawyer Jevdet Smakqi, who for nearly a year has represented Hasan Dalay's family, recently released from custody in Serbia, has accused the government of lack of action and support.
He said that in addition to public statements and social media posts, the Government of Kosovo has been <x0 reference, spectator and no support to” in the Dakaj case and other cases.
“I am directly involved in the case of Hasan Dajaj, who has already been released from custody in Serbia and flat for a year I have been the representative of the Dajaj family, and I have even communicated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the charge d'etash Jashari. In addition to public statements, Facebook posts, the Kosovo government has been indifferent, spectators and no support in the Dakaj case. But it is seen to be on other occasions, rather, the Kosovo government is obliged because those arrested former KLA members are not prosecuted for ordine criminal acts. Like drug trafficking, or murder of civilians, but they are pursued because of their activity to free Kosovo. If we compare those accused of Kosovo's special prosecutor for local Serbs here in our courts, they are aware and I have evidence that Serbia pays the lawyers and I've made several calls for the Kosovo government to award a budget to cover both the expenses of family visits, even food expenses, for example, for the children of Hasan Dalay, who have remained in the solidarity of family”, he has told Online Economy.
Smakqi said a serious and responsible government should take immediate measures to stop the prosecution and unjust arrests against former KLA members, demanding that internationals put greater pressure on Serbia to stop this practice.
He added that considering the current government “is anti - KLA” and is not helping those arrested, Serbia is continuing its arrests against them.
And the sad thing is that former KLA members when they are pursued by Serbia for patriotic acts of Kosovo liberation do not have the state of Kosovo behind them and perhaps Serbia seeing an anti government - U n CK is finding space to stop and arrest wherever it is. It would be mediate in the negotiations in Brussels, which we have seen the Kosovo government completely fail because it has to do with a fundamental, fundamental, free movement of people. Therefore, if we had a serious government that would raise this issue and with international mediators we would make sure that members of the KLA were not followed, even though they had an arrest speech in other countries, you've seen it in Macedonia as well. And KLA members are being persecuted in the absence of a government that will be active and responsible, those arrested by Serbia and not supported by any fund, and do not support them on international pressure to create monitoring by international organisations”, he said.
Behxhet Shala, director of the Council for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms ( KMDLNj stressed that Serbia is using the arrests as revenge for the establishment of charges against Serbs for war crimes in Kosovo.
He called for former KLA soldiers to avoid travel through Serbia to prevent arbitrary arrests.
“We have reacted with a request for all those who were KLA soldiers not to travel through Serbia, there are alternative routes. Serbia has had cases that it has not arrested for the first time it has left them once or twice before, but with the establishment of charges against Serbs for war crimes and the arrests of Serbs in Kosovo, then Serbia is somehow being avenged even is arresting Albanian citizens. Doesn't mean if someone was a soldier The NLA has committed any crimes against Serbs or anyone else, it is no reason they have been KLA soldiers to be arrested. Because if it were 99 percent of Serbs in Kosovo who are needed to be arrested because they have all been in Serbia's service before the war, during the post-war fight”, Shala said of Online Economy.
He adds that Kosovo has obligation to any Kosovo citizen, who is arrested in another country to secure legal protection and other aid if there is a need, but that according to him, Kosovo is lagging behind by not showing interest.
Kosovo's “state cannot do anything because of reports it has with Serbia, there is no co-operation in the field of justice, and all it can do is to react through the liaison office through internationals and ask that treatment be done in line with human rights and international standards. On the other hand, the state has the obligation to any Kosovo citizen who is arrested in another country to secure legal protection and other aid if there is any need, but in this direction Kosovo is left behind and we have seen that most of them who have been arrested and released have no good words for the state of Kosovo because they have not shown any interest or acted in accordance with the legal obligation that it has<1>, Shala has said. / EO/
