Convicted of obstruction of justice/ Special releases Ismet Bahtijari and Sabit Jonuzi on bail

2025-02-21 18:01:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Convicted of obstruction of justice/ Special releases Ismet Bahtijari and Sabit

The President of the Special Court, Ekaterina Trendafilova, made a decision on the conditional release of Sabit Januzi and Ismet Bahtijari on February 21, noting that they met the criteria for sentence modification, as they had served two-thirds of their prison sentences.

On February 4 of this year, Januzi and Bahtijari were sentenced to two years in prison each, finding them guilty of obstruction of justice, specifically witness intimidation. The time they spent in pre-trial detention was also included in their sentences. Both were arrested on October 5, 2023.

The Special Court – an institution that operates under the laws of Kosovo, but is headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands – made this decision following a plea agreement that the Specialized Prosecution Office reached with the defendants.

The decision to sentence these two individuals did not specify which witnesses were involved, or which court case.

"The President found that, although the criminal offenses for which Mr. Januzi and Mr. Bahtijari were found guilty are undoubtedly serious, given the consequences that witness intimidation has for the administration of justice, there were several factors that weighed in favor of modifying their sentences," the statement issued by the Special Court said.

The Special Court was established in 2015 by the Kosovo Assembly and investigates alleged crimes committed by members of the Kosovo Liberation Army against ethnic minorities and political rivals from January 1998 to December 2000.

The trial against former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi, former MP Rexhep Selimi and two former Speakers of the Kosovo Assembly, Kadri Veseli and Jakup Krasniqi, who are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, is continuing in this institution.

On December 6, 2024, a new indictment was confirmed against Thaçi for unlawful attempts to influence witness testimony in the first trial.

In addition to Thaçi, the second indictment also includes the names of former Minister of Justice, Hajredin Kuçi, former head of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, Bashkim Smakaj, former mayor of Malisheva, Isni Kilaj, and Fadil Fazliu.

All have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

So far, this Court has issued verdicts for war crimes and obstruction of justice. /Rel