8 hours agoCritical of Court Judges
Periskopi(a year ago)
(a year ago)The trial chamber in The Hague's Specialised Chambers has been criticised several times by the protection of former KLA leaders that he is being unilateral in questions to witnesses. These criticisms have denied special judges. Kosovo lawyers licensed by the Special, however, say the court asks questions in favour of the prosecution. In November [...]
In November last year, the defence of former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders had launched a request to the court in the Specialised Chambers at The Hague, through which they had asked judges not to take sides, but to be impartial in their questions.
This and Hashim Thaci's frequent defence complaints, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi, have been answered at the helm with Charles Smith. In response published on the Special Page, lawyers reportedly have not provided concrete cases where the panel has prejudged, RTK reports.
According to the Court, the panel has broad powers to ask witnesses any questions that are deemed necessary to clarify their testimony.
“Regarding any prejudice against defence, the panel recalls that defence has the right to reopen their question based on questions asked by witnesses from the panel or to take more time to examine documents if necessary”, it says in other ways.
That the court is taking sides, he considers the attorney licensed by the Special Court, Skender Musa.
This court has been biased from the very beginning, the judges have not maintained subjectivity, it is seen that judges pose only questions that go in favour of the prosecution. The criticism of all the opinion and most lawyers in Kosovo is that the court -- that is, the judges have been objective -- often comes to some sort of impression that we have only two sides, the prosecutor and the court on one side, and the accused and their defenders on the other”, said Skender Musa, a licensed lawyer.
Even at the Kosovo Institute for Justice, they say the court should be objective in questions asked.
It is important to focus on the objective of the process and we think that the court should be objective in particular and that this process be completed as soon as possible, always by not being called to the quick conclusion and at the same time damaged as the process, but to end up as a process on the basis of evidence which the parties have presented to procedure”, Astrit Kolay from IKD said.
So far in this trial process, 123 prosecution witnesses have testified, which have warned that by April 4th they will complete its testimony to proceed with those of the victims' protection and protection of the accused. /rtk
