The Kosovo Prosecutor's Office in The Hague makes arrests for obstruction of justice

2024-12-05 18:57:27, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Kosovo Prosecutor's Office in The Hague makes arrests for obstruction

The Hague-based Specialized Prosecutor's Office, which deals with war crimes in Kosovo, said Thursday that it is "conducting ongoing operations in Kosovo in an investigative process that focuses on criminal offenses against the administration of justice," but did not provide further details.

Representatives of the Organization of War Veterans of the former Kosovo Liberation Army as well as family members of those arrested said that the prosecution arrested the former head of the Intelligence Agency Bashkim Smakaj, and the former mayor of the municipality of Malisheva, Isni Kilaj. The former member of the Liberation Army, Fadil Fazliu, was also arrested.

Bashkim Smakaj, who headed the Intelligence Agency from 2009 to 2015, also served for a while as an adviser to the former President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi.

Isni Kilaj was arrested for the first time in November 2023 on suspicion of criminal offenses related to obstruction of justice and was released on bail in May of this year.

The prosecutor's office has been raiding the house of the former Minister of Justice, Hajredin Kuçi, since the morning hours.

The Special Court of Kosovo for war crimes, known as the Specialized Chambers, has so far convicted two former leaders of the KLA War Veterans Organization, Hysni Gucati and Nasim Haradinaj, for obstructing justice.

Meanwhile, the court has pronounced two verdicts for war crimes.

Former KLA commander Salih Mustafa was sentenced to 26 years in prison in December 2022 on charges of unlawful killing, arbitrary detention and torture. In December 2023, the Appeals Chamber of this court reduced his sentence to 22 years, while in September of that year, his sentence was reduced to 15 years of imprisonment.

In July of this year, the Court sentenced former KLA member Pjeter Shala to 18 years of imprisonment for the crimes of arbitrary detention, torture and murder.

Currently, the judicial process is continuing in The Hague against the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi, who were arrested in November 2020, while the trial began in April 2023. They are accused of persecution, imprisonment, other inhumane acts, torture, murder and forced disappearance of persons. All of them have denied the charges.

The court was established in 2015 and operates based on the laws of Kosovo, but with international personnel. The idea for its establishment followed the claims raised in the 2011 report drawn up by the envoy of the Council of Europe, Dick Martty, who raised suspicions about the involvement of former insurgents in the killing of Serbian civilians and Albanian political opponents.

The establishment of the special court as well as the raising of charges and the punishments announced by it have been constantly accompanied by reactions and protests in Kosovo, where it is claimed that in this way reconciliation is being done with the atrocities committed by the Serbian forces during the war of 1998-1999. which ended with NATO's intervention./ VOA