FLASH
Shkruar nga PamfletiThe indictment for war crimes and crimes against humanity against the KLA four was confirmed on October 26, 2020. Upon being made public, on November 5 of that same year, the defendants were sent to the detention center in The Hague.
Today, the four former KLA leaders have the right to give their final statement at the Hague Special Court before the verdict is announced.
Former President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, former Speakers of Parliament Kadri Veseli and Jakup Krasniqi, and former MP Rexhep Selimi, who have been in The Hague detention center since November 2020, will each have 20 minutes to speak.
Four former KLA leaders have been charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity, and the Hague Special Prosecution has requested a total of 180 years in prison. These charges have been dismissed by the defense lawyers of the four former KLA leaders.
Meanwhile, a day earlier, Kosovo celebrated its 18th anniversary of independence, but at the same time a massive protest was held in Pristina. The march with the motto "Justice, not politics" was also attended by senior state representatives from Kosovo, Albania and North Macedonia.
The 'Special' in The Hague requested 180 years in prison for former KLA leaders
Special prosecutors in The Hague outlined their request for sentencing Hashim Thaçi and other former KLA leaders on February 9, when they began closing arguments in the trial in The Hague. The prosecutor in the case, Kimberly West, while presenting her request for sentencing, said that the charges have not lost their value with the passage of time.
Her statement required clarification from the spokesperson for the special chambers, who said that the sentence request is for 45 years in prison for each of the four defendants, which brings the special prosecution's request to 180 years in total.
"The Specialized Prosecutor's Office requests a conviction for all counts of the indictment and a single sentence of 45 years, based on the individual contributions of the crimes committed by each of the individuals, Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi. These are war crimes and crimes against humanity, they are serious and these charges have not lost their value over time," the prosecutor said.
Prosecutor West said that former KLA leaders are accused of the murders of 100 people and the torture of hundreds of others who were abused, in and around 50 detention camps.
"This case is about the goal of the four defendants to gain and exercise control over all of Kosovo. This determination for competence and power was met with something, and this had to do with people who had come out as opponents or were determined to be collaborators with Serbian forces, or Serbian officials, or who did not support the goals of the KLA," she stressed.
Accusations against former KLA leaders
Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi, former parliamentarians Kadri Veseli and Jakup Krasniqi, and former MP Rexhep Selimi are charged with criminal acts that constitute war crimes: unlawful or arbitrary detention, cruel treatment, torture and unlawful killings, and crimes against humanity: imprisonment, other inhumane acts, enforced disappearance of persons, and persecution. They have pleaded not guilty to the charges. The crimes are alleged to have been committed between March 1998 and September of the following year in several locations in Kosovo and northern Albania.
The indictment for war crimes and crimes against humanity against the KLA four was confirmed on 26 October 2020. Upon being made public, on 5 November of the same year, the accused were transferred to the detention centre in The Hague. After the closing statements, the case is transferred to the trial panel. The judges have three months to reach a decision on the case and announce it.
The Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor's Office were established in 2015 by the Assembly of Kosovo, and are part of the Kosovo judicial system, but operate with international staff in the Netherlands.
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