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Former Dutch Ambassador to Kosovo, Robert Bosch, has described as unjustified and disproportionate the Prosecution's request for a sentence of 45 years in prison for the four former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
In an interview with KosovaPress, Bosch stated that, in his assessment, there is no evidence to support the allegations of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office (SPO) for war crimes against Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selim and Jakup Krasniqi. He expressed that he expects the trial panel, in the absence of strong evidence, to declare the accused innocent and release them.
"This is absurd because it is equivalent to a life sentence. If they stay in there for 45 years, they won't survive, they will die in prison. So it is a life sentence. As I said, it is an absurd request. But it is also absurd because there is very little evidence. It is even more strange to ask for something like this when there is little evidence.
"Even if the KLA were a criminal organization and Thaçi were the leader and gave instructions – which has been proven not to be true – 45 years is still a long time. However, I have to trust the judges. What I fear is that, if the judges do their job properly (release them), the prosecution may appeal against the release, which means that the process will continue for years and years," emphasizes the former Dutch ambassador to Kosovo.
Bosch also spoke about the role of the panel of judges, led by Judge Charles Smith, emphasizing the need for impartiality and objectivity in decision-making.
“Judges should be neutral. They are not the same as the prosecution. So I hope and I have to believe that the judges are really objective. I think if they are objective, they will say that the prosecution has a very weak case. In my opinion, they will dismiss the whole case by saying:
"Listen, it's a very weak case" and then either release them for lack of hard evidence, or say they had nothing to do with it. I would be surprised and I think the court would compromise itself... I mean the judges, of course I shouldn't put pressure on them, but I believe they are honest people. In that case, based on what I've seen, they can't convict these people. They can't. It would be very strange if they went after the prosecution," he adds to KosovaPress.
Regarding the protest announced on February 17 in defense of former KLA leaders, Bosch expressed support for its organization, emphasizing that it should be peaceful.
"Protests are perfect as long as they are not violent. I don't like violent protests like the one you had in Tirana last week, but protests are okay. In this case there is room for protest, because calling the KLA a criminal organization is an insult to your country. It is an insult," Bosch stressed.
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