The Special Court rejects Shala's request to modify his prison sentence

2025-12-12 15:30:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague have rejected the request of former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commander Haxhi Shala to modify or reduce his sentence to three years in prison.

In a media release, the Kosovo court in the Dutch city, also known as the Special Court, said its president, Ekaterina Trendafilova, decided on December 11 that Haxhi Shala's sentence would not be reduced or modified after serving two-thirds of his sentence.

Shala was sentenced to three years in prison in February of this year, as well as a fine of 400 euros, after previously pleading guilty to obstruction of justice.

He was denied a modification or reduction of his sentence after Trendafilova, after consulting with the judges on the sentencing panels, concluded that Shala “had not expressed remorse” for the crime.

Trendafilova will consider a possible modification of Shala's sentence in February, according to the announcement.

Shala has been held in the Dutch city prison since December 11, 2023, meaning he has only one year left to serve his full three-year sentence.

Shala was convicted along with two others, Sabit Januzi and Ismet Bahtijari, against whom the Special Court prosecutors had indicted him for obstruction of justice.

Bahtijari and Januzi were each sentenced to two years in prison. All three had reached plea agreements with prosecutors.

What did the indictment say about Shala, Januzi and Bahtijari?

The indictment confirmed for the three defendants on July 10, 2023, states that between April 5 and 12, 2023, Haxhi Shala, along with Sabit Januzi and Ismet Bahtijari, contacted a witness.

More specifically, according to the indictment, Ismet Bahtijari paid a visit to the witness at his home on April 5th, while Sabit Jonuzi paid a visit on April 12th.

The indictment further states that the witness was asked to withdraw his testimony and offered benefits in exchange. The group crime, according to the Prosecution, was committed under the direction of Haxhi Shala. /REL